The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-09-17
Railroad Problems

Our railroad history has been one of the worlds wonder
tales of industrial enterprise 1t also contains chapters
unbelievable corruption. In the building of the roads an
empire of land and nations ransom in bounties were
largely msapproprated The scandals that with the
9ridronng of the continent with iron highways when fol-
lowed by the riot of rebates and which made
and wrecked cities and industries and founded the trust
dynasty against which democracy is revolving provoked
the uprsngs of grangersm and populism and brought
regulation thru the state and interstate COM
missions
This ended lassez fare and extreme indivdualsn. 1t
also introduced the era of manipulation speculation
and consolidation Profits sought in handling stocks
and bonds rather than freight and The great
valuable constructive work of this the combination
Of wastefuy competing roads into great systems It's evils
formed the main material upon which the school Of muck
rakers worked Few today would return to the then
highly Landed competition Fewer still would that
We go back to the earlier and highly lauded
indivdualsm in management Those things at least,
behind u.s.
the roads combined in great systems but sunk beneath
Of watered capital neglected and Quilted physically and
almost bankrupt financially. Once private enterprise
had done its best and its worst 1t had now performed the
two tremendous tasks of building and then consolidating
the management of the roads.
But had neglected denied the existence of two
important social duties The largest and least powerfully
organized group of workers had been denied living wage
function that of transporting the nations goods The plant
had been neglected until it broke almost flat when
fronted with the crisis.
These problems were pressing for solution when war
AS in many other fields the but precpitated
already overdue crisis.
and recreated the plant also guaranteed and paid div
dends that otherwise extremely doubtful 1t is largely
different and far better plant whose disposition
considering than the one that existed in 1916.
1t is, therefore simple thing to return the roads to
their Here everywhere, it is impossible re-
turn to the status quo ante beum. That is gone
forever
Owners do not want the property they had They want
guaranteed dividend yielding property Judge Lovett
president of the Union Pacific railroad recently told
gressiona committee IF the railroads turned back
to their today under existing conditions not too
much say that half of the roads would bankruptcy
and the roads would have reduce their
dividend payments
All plans propose changes in pre-war conditions. All
would prevent past vested from becoming future
vested rights.
Labor will have living wages and democratic voice in
industry. Owners demand dividends capital actually
invested The public demands service, competent manage
ment and no payment for which value is not given
The securing of these things requires era in our
railroad history This is recognized by those who are seek
ing solutions Of all the plans before congress there il
that does not in way provide for the direct
participation of labor and along with the own
ers in the management Of the railroads
The real problem lies in the just apporonment of that
participation.
Wouldn't it be fine If these profiteers aooald ,oaM ont
and quit profeering? Thatd be q strike euerybodyd
Welcome.
Britain may ask the United States to relieve her
troops policing Turkey, says Paris dispatch We sun
the troops thus relieved OiU be TreLaud