The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-05-26
Government Ownership

ownership has been tried and found
wanting. The necessities of the wal
afforded an opportunity for the tri,
al of Government ownership of our
railroads and telegraph lines such
as might not have been furnished by
a hundred years of propaganda by
those who believe in Federal opera
ton of public utilities. In speech
delivered in New York last night
Secretary of Commerce William c
Rediield expressed himself as fol-
lows on this subject.
1T is, / think, germane to suggest
that out of the helpful experience
the nation has had during the war
and the readjustment period with
Government operation Of our great
system of intercommunication,
whether on sea, land or by wire.
fact has clearly emerged which has
peculiar interest for this assembly
and which points finger of warning
to the whole country, | do not re-
call that this special phase of Coy
ernment control of communication
Of all kinds was seriously discussed
peior to the war, yet to my mind =
i Of basic importance.
1T has by itself settled my own
judgment adversely to Government
operation in country as large as
this, Of the great enterprises involv-
ed in our railways, our merchant ma
sine, and our telegraph and telephone
systems. have called our expert
ence helpful because, through the
work of the able and conscientious
men who have handled all these ac-
tivities, more has been learned Of the
essential factors Of the problems than
was possible by pure theorizing. Nor
Is there in the background of my
thought the slightest element of
controversy" W.
During the course of his speech
the Secretary said that the chief
fsu1t to be found with Government
ownership is "the necessary combi-
astion Of so large part-a contro1l-
ing part--of the purchasing power
of the country into few hands or,
regarding the Government as unit,
into one compact control. The va
rious transportation elements named
include as have said controll-
ing purchasing power over our in
dustries and through them over our
labor and producers of raw material"
By refusing to buy or delaying
buying at a critical period, the Sec
rotary pointed out, it would lie in
the power of this single unit to
crush or cripple industry. Should
the government become a vast So
cialistic machine, controlling the
great transportation systems, the
telephones, the telegraphs, the mer-
chant marine, etc, with the enor-
nous purchasing power involved 81
this control. the fate of the country
wSGld rest in the hands Of the few
men exercising this power, and it
might conceivably provide a short
cut to imperialism.
There are many other objections
TO Government ownership including
the political manipulation that would
inevitably creep in, the impairment
Of standards Of efficiency, and the
almost limitless opportunities for
graft"
II may perhaps be claimed that
the trial was not fair one because
precipitated by war on an unprepared
governmental organization; and the
claim might seem reasonable were
It not for the fact that we have long
had many other glaring examples of
Governmental inefficiency in bust
ness management, such as the fail
nre to install any budget system
these many years; the senseless null
fiplicity, in the different Govern
ment departments of bureaus and d.
visions engaged on similar ACTIVE
ties; the great variance of the busi-
ness methods, or lock of method, Of
the various departments; the plac-
~ and continuing of inefficient
people in responsible positions for
pnreiy political reasons; and thou
eaad other evidences OF business in
efficiency which show concIusively
HIT the best interests Of the country
1enand that the Government shall
re1ece rather than increase the scope
pSsits sexual management Of purelyl
lusiness enterprises.
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