Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-11
Government Ownership

tFrom the Wilkes Barre Record1
Threat of an intensive campaign
by the railroad brotherhoods for
Government ownership, with a plan
OF profit-sharing, cannot be lightly
considered on the ground that pub
lie sentiment, Congress and the
President are opposed to 1t. The
experiment with Government opera
ton during the war period has dis
PEELED much of the sentiment there
was in favor of Government owner
ship prior to that period, but the
votes and the influence of the rail-
road men are powerful, and 1t Is
well known that on various occa-
sions Congress has yielded it's con-
scientious convictions to such pres
sure. If the railroad men insist
that the lines shall not be turned
back to their former control and
back up this insistence with the
threat of a general strike-thero
have been intimations of such a
course,-it is possible that the
President and Congress will do as
they did when the brotherhoods de-
manded an increase of wages
through executive and legislative
Intervention a couple of years ago
surrender.
paration u bill patterned after the
plan advocated by the brotherhoodS
scme months ago. 1t includes pur-
chase by the Government of all rail-
road lines upon a valuation to be
determined by the courts, and pay
ment of the properties by the Is
suance of four per cent bonds;
operation by n directorate of fifteen
five of the directors to be CHOSEN
by the President to represent the
public, five to be elected by the
operating officials, and five to be
chosen by the classified employees;
equal division of surplus, after pay
ing fixed charges and operating
costs, between the public and the
employees; automatic reduction OF
rates when the employees share OF
the surplus is more than five per
cent. of the gross operating reVe-
| nue.; regional operation as a unified
syste EN-; building of extensions at the
eXpe nse of the communities bene-
flied, in proportion to the benefit.
This is not outright Government
| ownership and operation. 1t is
ownership by the Government in
providing the money, but joint OPP
Grafton by the Government and the
employees and joint division or the
profits, If there are any. To obli-
Eate the Government to the eX-
perditure of some 0,000,000,00C
through a bond issue at n timc
when world finances are in q pre-
ca"ious state, would be an exceed
!ngly risky piece of business. But
| that is not the sole reason for hesi =
tation. 1t is we'll known what Co..
| criIment ownership or operation of
q ~ nj n II
| politics, based on the motion
TINT when the Government takes
| hold of thing there is some magic
influence over finances that makes
| them come out right at the end.
Congress and not employers would
| deal with questions of wages, and
| under the stress of political pres
sule from host of railroad men,
| their relatives and friends, it is
| ha! dly q question as to what Con.
gress would dc in the face of wage
demands; and for the same reason
IT is hardly to be doubted that Con-
gresG would yield to community and
: sectional clamor for improvements
in service and n lowering of rates
| The chicanery practiced by con,
! gressmen in voting hundreds of mil.
lions of dollars for public buildings
| IN towns where the postal revenue
hardly pays for the services of jani-
tors, and for improvement of navl-
CATION in streams that almost run
dry part of the year, all for the
sake of political capital, makes one
extremely skeptical as to the results
Of Government ownership of the
railroads.
The public is in favor of a return
of the lines to private operation a.:
soon as possible, with, however, a
change from previous conditions, in
that the Government shall have
larger measure of supervision than
! heretofore. If this program fails il
WILL be because the brotherhoodS
are stronger than the Government