Arizona republican., 1919-04-23
Our Railroad Entanglement

Our Railroad Entanglement It has been said frequently after we became well immersed in the that we were coming to me" heaven and a new earth" We think the spiritual alterations which we undergone and will nave undergone will perhaps not be great We shall find human nature imperceptibly changed. We may have suffered some deviation in ways of thinking put that will be about all and it may be only temporary. But we have already to new earth.
 We have been much interested in recent address by Professor John R. Commons of the University OF Wisconsin before the National Board of Farm organl- zaton at Washington the subject of the railroads The burden of the address naturally, considering the tme the place and the audience the relation or farmers to the future of the railroads. Labor was clamoring for representation. the owners were or ganzed for representation, the shippers and all industries but the farmers who should also be represented But Professor Commons leaves out much numerous element than any of these classes suggestion for it's representation has yet come from any source. But will come to that in it's chronological order
 Three years ago the railroads were all under pri- vte subject to supervision by the Inter state Commerce Commission which since 1906, had abolished many the abuses of which complaint had been made. Rates had become stabilized a basis which must to to have been very able The roads paying their expenses; at
 
 freights and fares
 There good deal of criticism concerning watered stock and intricate and sinister of financing which we see did not concern the pub lie generally.
 We now in entirely different situation with respect to the roads. We would perhaps have been in a somewhat similar one not gone to war We began to get into it in August 1916 when the Adamson law passed declaring the power con gress to fix wages. We already had the power rates but that had far been used only di>crimnat ngly, and believe, justice to the roads and to the public Wage-fixing legislation was be- heved at the time enacted for it's political effect and that belief think not been modified
 Perhaps that-is as far would have gone bue for the war. Certainly congress would in a time of turned over to the government We do not think it would again a time of war But the roads the hands of the government and they have been costing the people of about s1ooOO0oooo annually. This has fallen upon not only the shippers the users of the roads but everybody who buys an article which tax is laid on which tariff is charged is helping to make up this billion year.
 Rates and fares are higher than they were ever known to be and at no time in the last forty been the service so inadequate This we believe to be fair and accurate summing up of conditions
 Now we are prepared to follow Professor Con- mons in his remarks relative to the future of the roads-his discussion whether they shall pass into the ownership of the government revert private control He says and believe rightly "The rail- road situation has reached point where it makes practically difference whether we have public own ership or private ownership If the railroads are re- turned under present conditions bankruptcy for many of them probably most of them That means general panic tumbling of prices, all round demoralization of the whole country
 We think from what follows Professor Commons meant instead of practically difference" "theo- retically no difference" assuming that private man. agement would be no more efficient than public man. agernent had been. He speaking only of the cos. to the public of owning the roads and running them on the basis of the last eighteen months
 The value of the roads he places at s2o 900 ooo oeo We cannot confiscate them. If turn them back to the owners we must their capital and their interest on that capital we buy them we mpst na V that much and the interest that sum will be ssoo- : oooooo year, to be paid by the taxpayers
 Having thus become entangled with the ro.ds we are laden with permanent gigantic burden We are In losing railroad business whether the roads are owned by the government owned by private capital. Alter having done to the roads the things that We have done to them in the eighteen months We cannot wash our hands of them and throw the wrecks of them back upon the owners
 50 under either plan there would be nearly a billion dollars year to be paid by somebody. uti- mateiy of course by the goat-the people Professor Commons suggests this: Tt can be paid by three diff ferent classes of people, by shippers and the nubc Tn higher rates of service; it be paid by the wage earners in part by taking it their wages and if these two are not enough pay that billion dollars year Tor operating expenses maintenance then it can be taken out of the taxpayers
 Now as to representation The investors bao organized and have submitted a plan to the rovern nent to protect them against any loss Labor is organized and has submitted a plan-a very demo- cratic plan-by which the wage earners shall be given d voice in the management. The shippers are ar sanized rather loosely though without any suggestion yet as to part in the control. The farmers said Professor Commons, should organize
 Now when all this has been done who is goi +c represent the general pubc-that part of it not com posed of farmers railroad employees and stockholders