The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-05-02
GOVERNMENT CONTROL.

GOvEnNM EN- CON nOEs
There will be little reason to deny
the statement by Col. B. A. Enloe, OF
the railroad commission, to the effect
that the sooner the government re-
turns public utilities to their owners
the better it will be for the public and
the Wilson administration. The demo-
cratic party in the next campaign is
not going Ito point with pride" to its
operation of public utilities. Its ora
tors will not wax eloquent over the
success that was made of the govern
ment operation of the railroads or Bur-
leson's control of the wire companies.
But it is hardly probable that the Re-
publicans will refrain frozen their gol-
den opportunity to view with alarm
the results that have followed govern
ment control.
But it is not so much the effect on
the party administration about which
we are concerned as it is the effect
upon the patrons of the government
controlled properties and the taxpay-
ers generally. But for the govern
ment guarantee of average dividends
and the fact that deficits are made
good out of the general treasury the
finest railroad properties in the coun-
try would today face actual bankrupt
cy as the result of federal control. To
a deficit of over $20O,O00,O00 per an
mum in the operation of its railroads
the government recently added anoth-
er huge charge of $63,000,0O0 per an
mum in increased pay. OF course as
long as the taxing power OF the gov
eminent can be used to make good de-
ficits the roads will continue to be ops
Grated, although it is unfair to make
the whole body Of taxpayers contrib
ute to the running expenses OF the
roads although they may not buy sim
gle ticket or have solitary freight
bill during the year.
An even worse mess has been made
of the operation of the wire companies
by the government. These proper
ties were not taken over until the war
ended and no satisfactory reason for
their seizure has yet been made I'm
mediately after the government took
control an increase in rates was an
nounced. On May another increase
goes into effect and it will not be suffi-
cient to meet the ever increasing .defic-
1t. There has been no improvement
in service under, government control.
AS matter Of fact the railroads are
less accommodating and their equip
ment is poorer than during private
control. Rolling stock is running down
and road beds are not receiving the at
tention necessary to maintain sched-
ules. There must be day of reck-
oning. Things will have to change,
for the people will not always be sat-
isfied with the costly and inefficient
service that they are now receiving.
Under government control it is prac-
tically impossible to bring suit
against the railroads without permits
sion OF the director general, making
delays in the shipment of freight more
burdensome upon the business inter-
ests. War control may have been
necessary but the sooner the roads are
restored to their owners and private
operation resumed the better it is go
ing to be for the railroads and the
general public.
Any sentiment that may have exist
ed in this country for government
ownership of public. utilities, outside
of the selfish few who have directly
profted from recent experience, has
been pretty effectually removed as
the result~of a few months of govern
ment operation. The experience will
be fortunate in that it has shown the
people the inadvisability of govern
ment ownership without actually en-
barking upon the experiment.