The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-09
GILLETT DENOUNCES
FEDERAL0WNERSHIP
Warns That Under 1t Rail EN-
pIoyccs Would Carry Wages
Into Politics.
CLASS RULE Is FOSTERED
Wants Roads Turned Back and
Given Leeway to Unite
Under Control.
CLASS RULE Is FOSTERED

Opposition to Government ownership
o. the railroad and telegraph lines was
voiced at Republican. Club luncheon
yesterday by Representative Frederick !
II. Gillett Of Massachusetts,. ranking Re-
publican member of the House Commit
tee on Appropria tons and mentioned for
Speaker.
"As a rule" Mr.. Gilett said, II do
not think operation OF a business by a
republic Is cfncent. 1t has a tendency |
10 check initiative and invention. to To- |
cate improvements on the principle of |
the pork barrel rather than on real ne |
cessity, and to charge part OF the cost of
operation to the taxpayers rather than
10 the patrons. Our experience OF the |
last year has not made Government own |
ership more popular.
Wages Enter Into Politics.
~But there is another angle from
which a member OF an appropriating |
committee Is forced to view 1t. All Gov |
eminent employees look to Congress to
determine their scale of wages. SO that
becomes pOItlCdl question: 10 tht
mon interested ii is the most important
POLITICAL question. And the opinion Of
each member OF Congress on that dues- |
ton, regardless of his other Qualif1ca-
tions Ia likely to determine the vote of
those constituents who are interested.
when the number of such constit- |
uents Is small it is not important. but
when they become numerous and organ
ized they might profoundly affect cleo
tons And class Is created (every one
a voter as Mr.. McAdoo said) who have
an interest in the election quite separate
from others and of a nature so personal
and vital to them as to be apt to control
their vote.
when some great and overshadowing
Issue sweeps the country, when our emo
tons are appealed to, as by the recent
war. such questions of salary may be
disregarded. But in normal times the
Congressman who is seeking election will
always have the selfish incentive to
promise his vote for increased salaries
and privileges quite irrespective OF their
merits, and the larger that class OF Gov
ornment employees becomes the more
difficult will 1t be for a man TO he elected
who does not pledge himself to regard
the interests OF one class Of his constit
tents first and the interests OF the people
a. whole second.
No Remedy DisccrnibIe for This,
,. ,.o-o,. Ia Goo,
~ 20 80, t,oh go M
oIn'I'.n' CIV "elsI'p ~. ny" 1r
the plan once adopted in England OF dis
franchising Government employees be-
causc they could not cast disinter-
cst"d vote.
And 50 this is to my mind another
practical argument in favor Of turning
back the operation of the railroads to
their owners give them A free hand to
rake such combinations and restrictio ions
as tend to economical traffic, and then
prevent them from exploiting the ship
per and traveller by Government super
vision.
I'VE ought never 10 60 back to the
Ireposterous and expensive condition
wnicn prevailed briule the war. with
numerous conflicting jurisdictions ana
authority and Responsibility separated
nut ] trust we snail as soon as posslplc
escape from the dangerous condltioh
"nich prevails To-Day.
MI. hliiett also BESPOKE reforms III
the methods or handiing ana appor-
tioninS Governmental appropriations.
Out OF twenty years experience on the
he said that few subjects were more
dustrisI life and that there ought 10 be
= popujsr revolt against the present
system, (which is singularly adapted TO
encourage eNtrayagance and waste" In
1908 Congress passed q law making
II the duty of the President 10 calcu-
late the revenues of each coming year
and II the estimates of department ne ids
were too high to reduce them or suE-
gest how the revenues could be increased.
Wilson Has Ignored Law.
.-r,., u,. ,ho cor,,, %, an ;r,ai,io.n,
t,dret sysier, " said Mr. C:ilIet, ..Eut
,hsre ia -, course M ncnsi,w unon The
pr.,,da,. ,or i,rorin, ,his d,,, md
drrJnr this Adno,n;s,ratton ,yhiIe ,he
ns,;,,a,os -, axnondi,uros have LARGELY
.1oa ,ho nroh.hi. royorros o..
.wand t,; LED 70 nrosnnf r. ConCress rho