The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-05
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF RAILROADS

American Federation of Labor and its affiliated demanded ownership and democracy the operation of railroads.
 The most important in American his tory marks the beginning of struggle which will be long and bitter short and difficult pleasant sever as the of events shall dictate.
 There nothing a proposal for the standardization railroads have been natonaliz ed for long tme American railroads are even now opera ed by the government.
 The acquiring the railroads, proposed by the workers not new The government is asked to issue bonds proceeds thereof acquire the stock of the rail roads from private paying to them the amount actually invested the service of the public.
 of that railroads other public ul- ies should be operated by government through manage ment provided by government.
 Any city which owns its water works, operates them through persons selected the city government usually by the Sometimes great system of railroads will be operated through single usually called receiver chosen by court
 In Connecticut the trolley Connecticut pany board of trustees named by court
 Up this point there is nothing that varies much from the abundant the relations of and ra and other utilities.
 Railroads operated by governments acquired by condemnation and agreements purpose of being so operated things abundany provided for the usual customs and laws of the land.
 The railroad workers something After the railroads been acquired by government from the ceed of the bond issues at price judicay declared they want parcuar kind of management which is novel to rail road operation.
 Instead of selected by court management chosen entirely by government they want management composed representing the and the President five elected by the operating officers five by the classified employees; the classified employees  walkers
 The plan of the railroad workers institutes another not found in usual types of ownership public utilities.
 The post oce by the government and operated with the idea of paying all expenses but not for the of producing profit The postal employees work for fixed but do not share in surplus similar fund In fact since there is surplus there nothing to share
 The post office is an example of public utility operated at cost.
 the municipaly owned company in Hartford, after paying its shows profit and this belongs to the city and may be used as the city sees flt
 The plan of the railroad workers to operate the railroads at profit that is that there will be left each year, after expenses paid.
 This surplus, profit would be divided equally between the government and the
 The half going men would divided that each the operating department of the railroads would get double the share of each classified worker.
 The railroad workers therefore propose profit sharing type of public ownership
 The program evidently modelled of the indus trial plans whi out forf factories.
 a factory in which workers have admitted to directors which addi ton to their predetermined share of the profits and you example of what the railroad propose their for public ownership and democracy the operation railroads"
 plan first view suggests certain analoges the program exemplifed in Russia. But closer ination shows these analogies to be false.
 In Russia the Soviets the government When they industry becomes government industry and public ownership in Russia is therefore plain eAshp the difference being that Soviet government is Re publican form of government
 The so-called Plumb plan distinctly an American ins- tuton government substituted private ownership profit sharing partnership with two classes of rail road tbe oneratos small number but suneror in skill ability classified workers, who great body employees and these cooperate the work of actually railroad business under directorate in which men employer the operating force, the brains five and the body of the employees who on the work, five
 It may be added that between Plumb plan plan acquiring private property there is the vast diff exists between taking by confiscaon and taking with compensation by due process of law.
 EXPLANATION NEEDED