Gunnison news-champion. [volume] (Gunnison, Colo.) 1905-1932, 1923-08-24
A View Opposed to
Government Ownership

..- LAVE fAsGAA - u AEAEItEl
g. LI Western People, IL discus
-ru % government oWnershrip is
ur.. worth considering. What
eve you may think Of government
Ca rrrshIp and government man
arrTent, Their. Is another side 10
D.
ed states Geological Survey and final
ly AS Director OF the United States
Esr.amation Service. Arthur p. DAVIS
Ia .peHt nearly forty years of his
hfe % the service Of the government.
II ru8gt this period he has been held
h. the highest esteem BY the members
Of he own profession. and has every
where been regarded by those who
~, competent judges, as an engineer
OF the highest standing. Some Of the
enterprises which ne has carried 10
successful completion are among the
greatest Of their kind ever attempted
In irrigation engineering. Governor
PInchot says of him: Il have never
known a better public servant"
Even among the settlers on the re-
clamation projects, whose disconten,
Is 4s chronic and well-founded a. II II
likely to be instructed. Mr.. Davis
i known to be an efficen; engineer,
\ outrageous administrator, and an
homes; man. When some two years
ago il became known that certain
power interests were seeking his re-
mo, Al, the board Of directors on sever
a. Of the government reclamation pro-
jects-ineluding the board on the
The Uncompahgre project-sent reso-
luuons to Secretary Fall protesting
against such action and requesting
that Mr.. Davis be retained. This was
done in spite of the fact that some of
these boards had for years been en-
gagged in controversy Wit hMr. Davis
~ the attempt TO obtain more ayor-
able terms in the repayment OF their
CaHstruction charges than were, in
opinion, consistent either with a sound
policy of reclamation OF with existing
Iav
secretary Fall resigned n few
months ago and was succeeded by
DR. Work. A little later. for no rea-
son that has been given 10 the public,
Mr.. Davis was unceremoniously dis
missed as an itinerant harvest hand
discharged when the farmers grain
in the shock
these are the bald facts upon which
the intelligent reader is at liberty to
g ace his own Interpretation. Those of
who have come in close personal
intact with Mr.. Davis on opposite
-ldes of the same argument. have
founi that he is not greatly gifted
With urbanity, but those of Us who
most often have had dealings with
him, have been rs little gifted m the
same respect. Where mere business
Of expression was concerned he gen
orally got as good as he gave. We
know, at least. that he was faithful
70 his trust. We know that he was
fearless, efficient. and honest. and
those of Us who have seen most deep
y into human nature know that these
attributes are incompatible with the
sleek urbauity that gets what il wants
for itself without giving offense to
its victims. Mr.. Davis was not
politician but an engineer, and while
! arm forced by is summary dismissal
after forty years of faithful service,
TO conclude that in holding a govern
ment job il Is of less advantage to be
an engineer than IL is 10 be a polite
an.
am no protagonist of government
reclamation. and | never have been.
There are three kinds of evidence that
il is not profitable. Private enter
prise which is always willing and able
to invest in any profitable undertake
ing far more than the government has
expended In the reclamation of arid
land, has never been willing to re-
claim the regions included within any
of the government reclamation pro-
jects. Secondly, the twenty-six pro-
iects on which the government has
expended si35, 900 900 have returned
only SIS ,ooo, 900 and have paid no in
terest on the rest. In opposing further
extensions of time the government is
constantly presenting this fact to the
settlers as an evidence that reclama-
tion has not been profitable to the
government Thirdly, the settlers on
practically every one of the govern
ment projects have testified in reso-
buttons that are on record in Washing
ton that government reclamation has
not been profitable TO them.
The whole history of the govern
mental management OF industry
proves, without a single exception,
that such management is as disastr-
Gus as il is extensive The government
construction of the Great Pyramid of
Cheops bankrupted Egyp. FIVE thous-
and years ago The governmental
operation of railroads is bankrupting
Italy now, and has been dsastrously
improbable TO Germany, Canada and
even-or eSpecially-to the United
States The governmental manage
nent of all industry has ruined Rus
sia- The legitimate business of any
government is TO maintain order, in
sure justice, and render life, liberty.
reputation, and property reasonably
secure When II undertakes more
than this and engages in industry it
ceases In that degree to be a legiti-
mate government and becomes an ag-
gregztion of scviets- The failure of
governments TO conduct any industry
as adyantageousiy to society as it
can be conducted by private capital,
has been uniform since te beginning
of civilization The reasons for this
f--lpr. spa r.evfa.-ftv ehrirx,s In any.