The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-08-21
LESSONS OF EXPERIENCE.

lernment operation of roads and wires and other
things during the last two years. In one sense,
therefore, the country is to be congratulated
that the president could not or did not call great
men around him, but lntrusted these expert
lments in naturalization of utilities to men OF
average calber-such men would usually be
at the head of public service utilities under
government operation.
i Mr.. McAdoo is generally credited with out
standing ability in certain lines, yet we see
what a mess he has made of the railroads. MIR.
Baker is man of average ability, yet we see
how billion dollars squandered without
producing aircraft good enough for anything
except to be burned Mr.. Burleson was unfit
ted by temperament for the position he held and
the work he attempted A wiser man might
have done somewhat better, for he did nothing
right. But the country has thus had an object
lesson of what good man, an average man and
an incapable man can do with nationallzed ut1
titles The fact that all of them failed so com
L5letely may be taken to show that the thing
they attempted is one which cannot under exist
ing conditions be successfully achieved.
Happily we have other and fairly conclusive
evidence that, as human nature is in this TWEEN
t1eth century, the naturalization of public utll
tiles or basic industries is disastrous expert
, ment In the decade before the war, writer's
with socalistic preposessions had much to say
in glorifcation of communistic experiments in
Australia and New Zealand. Their eulogies
were rapturous and ecstatlc some OF them con
veying the impression that the economic king
dom of heaven had been fairly established IN
those favored lands. Yet now we have the very
different testimony of Andrew Fisher, for eight
years prime minister of Australia and the
| high commissioner of that commonwealth I'M
bo h cod
dent from the fact that his political affiliations
were all with labor, and as its representative
he became premier. Testifying recently before
the parliamentary coal commission in England
he showed conclusively that the naturalization
IF utilities and industries in Australia had re-
suited in their paralyzation by political control
This led to wholesale jobbery which deprived
the workers Of all initiative and incentive to In
dustry and made the government and the par
lamentary majorities afraid to come to any de-
cisIons on anything.
/ The coal commission committed to the pol
icy of Naturalization declined at first to pub
lish Mr.. Fishers testimony and did SO only
after he threatened to publish it himself. But
England accepted this statement of labor
prime minister of the only country where ma
tlonalization had been competent test as evl-
Idence that could not be gainsaid; and the Lloyd
lJeOrge government QecUIled TO accept lHS GULL
mission report on the ground that It's recon-
mendations were confused and impracticable.
Were it not, however, for our own recent IL
Illuminating and distressful experience in gov
eminent operation it is possible that the people
might be stampeded into some disastrous course.
But it will be long time nova generation
probably-before the country forgets that gov
eminent operation gave it the worst, most cost
" and inefficient rail and wire service, Or rather
lack of service, more expensive, more exasper-
ating and unsatisfactory than had been thought
possible III this day and age.
i The capture and detention of the army fhers
by Mexicans is said to be considered at Wash
ington as essentially different from other cases
OF American citizens who have been held for
ransom or murdered Why it should be con-
sidered different, except in degree, is past find
ing out More than three hundred Americans
have been killed by the Mexicans within recent
years. There are queer slants at con
sheraton in evidence at the war department.
! When the wholesalers cut the quotation on
sugar from $3.50 to $3.50, the "hysterla' OF
government and people appears to be OF some
good effect.
The ''Great American Desert" is not myth,
after all 1t was rediscovered on July hrst
71919
President Wilson lost his suitcase IN Illinois
and his grip in Paris