The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1919-08-23
BUYING THEIR OWN CHIPS

Mr.. Garretson. former chief of the Order of Railway &c
ctors, appeared the other in Washington to urge the ado
IN of Lawyer Plumbs plan of turning the railroads on
The railroad employees. The editor of the Cedar hapt
wa. Republican,. a personal friend of Mr.. Garretscon, thel
ION made a very practical suggestion to Mr.. Garrets'
:. Plumb and their followers. And in The course of his co
ent he says:
This lawyer Plumb who seems to be plumb
crazy. cries bloody revolution'Hf congress will not put
his idea into immediate effect. Who is he and why
is he suddenly all wise and all powerful? And what
is it?
"He wants the government to buy the railroads
and then to let Mr.. Plumb's clients run them, taking
half the profits, without investing a dollar of their
own, and without assuming any of the ordinary risks
of business, for if there are deficits they are to be paid
in taxes.
Whatever this is. let us first try it on a small
scale. We would like to see the demonstration of the
theory. 1t might do us all good and it might do Mr..
Plumb good by restoring his mind. The test is
whether railroads can be run by committees of poll
ticians and agitators. It's a big matter. Let's not
throw all the railroads into such a tumble and a jack
pot, but let the men try it on a small scale.
For this we suggest that they themselves buy
up one of the roads. Let it be a great system, for
all that. The Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul. we
would suggest, for that is down to 10 cents on the
dollar and by buying 81 per cent of the stock out
standing the men under Mr.. Plumb can take absolute
possession of it and run it to suit their own theories
of railroading. The Milwaukee can be bought and
the men who believe in this new idea can get the
money to buy it with. They can pay part down
and get time on the rest, we doubt not. That is the
way a renter we know of bought a farm The other
day. He says he is going to work himself out of debt.
Having acquired 81 per cent of the Milwaukee,
they can manage it and operate it and pay what
wages they like-it will be theirs to do with as
they like. We suggest Mr.. Garretson, who is now cut of
Offioa in fha Opdnp Of Railway COOdncfdpS aS DrnSi-
dent of the road. We are told that he believes in
Plumb Mr.. Garretson is a good business man when
it comes to his own investments. We have served
with him on two boards of directors in corporations
and while he is willing to take 6 per cent, he likes 40
per cent better.
with Mr.. Garretson is president and Mr.. Plumb
as legal adviser, let the Milwaukee railroad be the
demonstration of the theories of the soviet. If they
win with it, if they prove to the people that they can
run the Milwaukee better, pay higher wages and
charge lower rates than the other railroads, then we
will be willing to see all of the three hundred
thousand miles turned over to the soviet.
why is not this a fair proposition. Why not
begin modestly with this experiment? 1t is a theory
and why put twenty billions of dollars worth of
property into the jackpot of theorists. They think
they can run all our railroads for us, but why not
demonstrate first that they can run one? And why
should they ask the right to experiment with all the
peoples money? Why not experiment with their
own? VIII Nj. Plumb and Mr.. Garretson and all who.
think like that be willing to put their money, all their
own money, into their own experiments? If not, what
are they afreid of-of themselves or their theories?
we like Mr.. Garretson and some dare to call
him 'Gary.'-even if we can not be in favor of turn
ing over to him and his friends all the railroads of
the country at once. But we are willing to see them
begin with one system. Go to it, gentlemen, and go
as far as you like with all the theories of the.
soviet. But have nerve enough to buy your own
chips and to bet on your own game-and God bless
Won. if YOU succeed"