Evening star., 1924-09-30

Hoover on Government Ownership.

Government ownership of railways
and other public utilities is not an is
sue between the two major. or sup
poscdly major, parties in the present
campaign, but it has been injected
into controversial discussion by the
La Toilette candidacy and platform,
and is troubling the minds OF many
thousands of men and women who
want to cast their votes in November
in d way to serve the best interests
OF their country and of all their coun-
trymen. And in the absence of sharp
cleavage between the Republican and
Democratic positions on vital eco
n"mic questions, Government owner.
ship of utilities has come to the front
for discussion to q degree hardly War.
ranted by any imminence of decisive
action.
No more thoughtful contribution to
this discussion has yet been made
than the address delivered last eve
ming by Secretary Hoover and broad.
cast by radio. With characteristic
raightforwardness, Mr.. Hoover
marches straight up to the crux of
the question and lays it bare, some
thing that other opponents as we'll as
proponents of Government ownership
have signally failed to do. If the
American people are to decide this
question rightly, he said, they should
have the reasons set before them in
,,f t.
thought, not in vituperation and ap-
peals to hate. Then he proceeded to
get down TO the meat of the social and
economic problems involved.
Mr.. Hoover showed that to acquire
the railroads and other public utilities
would require, in the first place, an
addition Of $40. .O00, 900 900 to the pub
lie debt, and would add between $780,
600 and 100000 employees to the Gov.
eminent pay rolls. The voting
strength Of this mass Of officeholders,
their wives and dependents would be
eore than % per cent Of the whole
wong strength Of the Nation. and
UoLl1 be the most powerful of all Or
sarized '"blocs" using the ballot for
Personal and selfish ends, What that
control Of utilities. Of wages and rates
b n It difficult to foresee. These or
ganized Government employees would
bod the balance Of power in an over
O1elming number Of congressional
Districts, and we should have gov
ernment Of bureaucracy, by bureau
Qacy and for bureaucracy.
II there were any general benefits
% be gained by such a departure from
the American conception of govern.
ment Mr.. Hoover might reconcile him.
self to the idea, but instead Of bene-
dts the Secretary of Commerce can
see. only burdens to be borne. He has
been q good deal about the world with
his eyes open, and has not yet found
an instance where government owner
operation or efficient service. On the
contrary, all his experience has been
that vastly superior service is rem.
dered by privately owned and oper-
ated American utilities, and IL in any
cases rates are lower under govern.
ment ownership it is because deficits
are created which must be made up
by general taxation-a robbing Of
many Peters to pay few Pauls. .
MIR. Hoover calls attention to the
fact that the railroads and other utili.
ties of America are rapidly becoming
public owned through the multiplca-
. ton Of holders of stocks and bonds,
and he urges as the American ideal
: this character Of ownership, with Gov
. ernment supervision. to prevent
abuses. And he makes the pertinent
observation that if the American peo.
pie, through their Government, are
not capable of bringing about effective
regulation they certainly are not can.
bic Of efficient and economical Govern.
nent ownership and operation.