South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-05-23
PRIVATE VERSUS GOVERNMENT CON-
troll OF THE RAILROADS

. EOPLE. some OF them industralists. others A.
nanciers but generally. just common
folks who know better how to find fault than any
thing else who had such splendid time just a few
months ago berating the railroad administration.
when the roads were under government control
welcome TO all the consolation they getting
of the return to private management. The sweet
little darlingsi We sorry for the railroads,
This is not said either because OF any favoritism
continuation OF government control or regret
that it not succeeded by government owner
ship. Such never was the policy OF the Wilson ad-
ministration and the roads would have been turned
back long before they had congress followed
the early advice OF the president and passed appro
pirate legislation-instead of waiting until he
threatened to turn the roads back without it. The
point politicians for the sake OF poIIucs.
railroad owners. for what heaven only
knows did all they could to make the railroad ad-
ministrati ton by the government. failure Then
each little failure exaggerated from moehill
into a mountain and the public led to believe
It something awful
Then came the returning day and despite all the
clamor It developed that except for political and
other such reasons after all the people
membering some OF the railroad ineficiencies and
dscourtesies under private control. and weren't
anxious 10 the roads go back as II appeared on
he surface. said. officially. but in the
press. and in the gossip OF the poIuace, that the
roads being returned to their that
private operation might have its final trial" With
au the preference for private enterprise naturally
felt by the American public. more accordant with
American character and institutions. doubted
whether private enterprise capable OF handling
American transportation since it had grown such
vast size and scope The majority OF citizens, how
ever. hoped that the railroad executives
succeed
They have not succeeded so far The test un-
questionably has not been fair one; fairer than
the accorded the government. The roads
not in good condition when returned. though
the government at considerable expense had I'm
proved them their pre-war condition. Rolling
stock short. equipment generally poor and
scant. funds for Improvement were lacking. traffic
kept growing in volume and operation crippled
by strikes Still it is significant that as soon as the
private executives got their bearings. they turned
the federal government for help instead OF going
ahead. they would have done in the old days
to work out their problems independently. Politi-
clans ambasted government control as paternaIism.
Now we have a tacit admission from the private
owners that the government is the only organi-
cation big enough to handle the railroads and that
spite OF the papabe faults public control It is
more nearly adequate than private control other
why the cry for help7 Or is it grarters plea
for government subsidy
It is the government, in the form Of this COM
mission which may be said to be on its final
trial" with regard to the railroads II Il fails what
is to be done? However. It hasn't failed so far:
particularly with Its almost first and forced admin
istrsve act. We by the papers that the govern
ment, which means the commission. has undertaken
relieve the freight Jam. by ordering the cars to
move. It has proven at least that the cars could
be moved and they did move: are nnoving-an ex-
perence very similar TO what happened when the
government took the roads during the war.
Freight congested then, as an impelling force
but it moved Uncle Sam proved that he could move
IT.