Evening journal., 1920-10-18
EpIroRs VETO GOVERNMENT OPERATION.

NEWSPAPERS as interpreters OF public sentiment
~ seem TO be meeting the need for securing refer
endums public questions Of national import Publ
cists and Legislators have frequently expressed regret
that national machinery is provided for referendums
OF this kind and several occasions within the last few
years private initiative has sought to oil the gap by
bringing together in sort Of superstraw vote the
estimate Of public opinion by sufficiently large num-
Der OF editors 10 make safe basis for Judgment The
questonnares on the League OF Nations. government
operation OF the railroads the sporadic attempts to
find out what the country thought about prohibition are
cases to point
There have been indeed two refcrendums govern
menG operation furnishing check on each other and
cumulative estimate of public opinion that must per
force have It's effect on legislative action.
Both OF these have been conducted In exactly the same
manner by the Press Service Company OF New York City
They took place about year apart The first one on
government operation OF railroads revealed that in the
judgment OF SO per cent of the editors who replied Cnd
about half Of them did reply the public was opposed to
the continuation Of government operation Of the rail-
roads.
In this new effort determine the publics attitude
government competition in private business, approx
maiey the same number OF editors replied and sc per
cent per cent than in the first case gave II
as their judgment thai the people Overwhelmingly
against government competing business with It's own
citizens
In the more recent QUESTIONABLE in the earlier ones
results strkingy lacking In political or sectional
bias There surprisingly little divergence between the
votes cast by different sections and States Moreover he
papers pretty evenly divided in political Affiliations
Furthermore the constituency represented is large
enough TO warrant general conclusion nasmuch as the
papers have some a 100000 readers.
Il seems a safe judgment therefore, taking tho two
questonnares together that the voters OF America as
whole are sohdly opposed to radical government ex-
perments and that such opposition has been strength
ened by experience with government control OF The
railroads and other industries Indeed the remarks ap-
pended TO the questlonnares by large number OF the
editors fully Justify the latter influence.
While the questions based on general principles
concrete case was made Of the socalled Muscle Shoals
Bill now before Congress- which would empower the
government operate fertilizer plant the big am
monum nitrate factory built during the war TO supply
military explosives.
In answer to the question to whether in the editors
personal opinion the government should enter the fer
zng business sc per cent Of those expressing an opn-
ion gave an unqualified mo- While this opposition was
based on general dsapprova Of governmental interfer-
ence with economic laws there seems TO be another
reason why this particular example OF paternaism Is
unwise and a reason which not brought up in the
QUESTIONABLE.
The purpose for which the Muscle SHOALS plant was
built was to provide the country with high explosives
Previous to the war this country depended largely upon
The Chilean nitrate beds for its nrales which are the
base Of all high explosives for military use This con-
dHon left us defenseess in Of war with country
which could control the sea.
II was necessary TO replace this supply OF natural
nitrate by developing fixed nitrogen industry within
the United States But The Muscle Shoals plant, In spite
of the enormous capacity could supply only limited
portion Of the nitrate needed big II Is obvious
then that the policy OF turning the MUSCLE. Shoals plant
into peace time producer Of nitrates #hich would
be sold on the open market rate low that private
enterprise could not compete would result in puttns
prlvate producers out OF business. Another would
find us as deienseess as ever
The nations Of Europe particularly Germany have fol-
lowed a directly opposite policy In Germany 1t was a
part Of her military program to through gov
ernment cooperation all private industries whose prod
uct could be turned to military The proposed bill
aims at turning the Muscle shoals plant into club the
gen industry.