Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-03-03
RETURN OF THE RAILROADS

THERE sigh of relief from the public over the of the
railroads their because efficient service is
peced If it is not forthcoming and ardy schedules and car
shortage continues to hamper business and there aeturn
to the Wall Street pasme of wrecng roads for profit and
of discrimination for favored industries and communities
agitation for ownership will be revived The owners
the opportunity prove that they operate
efficiently, economically and provide superior service
Theoretically there is much to be said for federal ownership
The railroads the nations arteries of public high
ways the people imparay and without discrimination
and theoretically the government best 90 itbut only
theoretically The temptation to sacrifice service Tor profit as
under private ownership is lacking The incentive for fenzed
finance and the long train of abuses the railroads have suffered
under eliminated We have theory organization whose
sole endeavor is to give satisfactory service to the people
The test of management which ended this week.
hardly fair test for the taking OF the railroads
emergency proposition to win the and operation
by hastily devised emergency administration with the
denate object of moving traffic to win the Private man
ageen had broken down for lack of authority to effect central
aon and lack of capital for additional equipment Conditions
under federal management remained abnormal with constantly
increasing traffic. and time lacking to perfect stable
organization.
In spite of the many complaints the service fairly salts
actoy really better than that rendered the public by the own
20 before federal control had eliminated gross
abuses.
The experiment tended to prove however, that the govern
met cannot operate either heapy efficiently private
ownership with the force OF managers and employees
Men do put their heart into routine work for the government
They serving mpesona ponderosy and the incentive
and rewards Of personal ambition are lacking There was an I'M
mediate loss OF morale under Uncle Sam and despite higher
there has been deporabe dmnuton of individual output
The great objection government ownership of railroads
that it unsued to form of democracy 1t is efficient only
under auocracy Railroads could not remain proper
without being cursed by potcs-and politics dsorganzes and
corupts everything ii touches Politics spells Generalization in
management and nefcency in operation would create
bureaucracy of chair-warmers and politicians.
We had example of what would happen under government
ownership when the broherhoods of employees got into politics
congress install the system of soviet control outlined
the Plumb pan We would have organized employees eecng ad
pledged grant demands and jobs going pot
ia pumb and chiefs striving for records the expense of
vice.
II doubtful if the railroad employees really favor govern
ownershpor Uncle Sam always pays the lowest wages
of any employer and the red tape of civil spells bu
reaucracy would mean in England France and
other countries that in Of strikes the military would compel
operation by the bayonet for the not to be tre
with and will force service
The real objection of the Broherhoods the Cumins BILL is
that provides guaranteed by the upon the
capitalization railroad whether the roads operated
thus enabling them to withstand strike without loss Of
revenue.