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(:—‘ ferg / 4 ,W == il e /e e b )[e AT N & i A 1 I ~ -Wi eI =~ A ] Zr =p4] ) 5T ¢TE )DS/ m/ ; T t' , 4A T — e i A N 11/ Vll 4 N 27| ie TN T ] NSV ev\ = VI I 24 ) / T 7 aom / i / i LEENN ‘_~~ ) ‘ B e SuPpy, I\ Ay / ‘P i INGEEET S & L s lx fikl’ _/’ / :_:. %Q : ,Q/C//// l /’- AP N =D : Fe Could the Government Own and Manage the Railroads? Those who oppose Government ownership used to say with a satisfied smile: ‘‘The Government is not able to manage im portant undertakings. GREAT undertakings require the great American business man. He does not condescend to go into Gov. ernment employ. Inferior Ctovernmment employees can not man age big things.’’ They do not say that quite as cheerfully as they used to, now that the parcel post has made thirty millions of profits in the first year AND COMPELLED THE LARGE INTELLECTUAL AMERICAN BUSINESS MEN TO REDUCE THEIR EXPRESS RATES BY ALMOST FIFTY PER CENT. The postoffice that carries a letter to Hawaii or London or on dog sled to the outposts in Alaska for two cents can scarcely be declared incapable. Now that it does with parcels what it had done with letters, giving better service, quicker service, infinitely cheaper service, the placid critics of Government ability are troubled. They are troubled particularly about the railroads. But they still persist that the railroad system is too complicated, too difficult, for managemeut by the Government. The fight against. Government owmership of railroads is carried on, first, by those who don't know what they are dis cussing. . Second, by the owners of railroads who have made money out of dividends, money out of wrecking roads, money out of rebates for special customers, money out of everything except GIVING THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC. And opponents of Government railroad ownership also un fortunately are the railroad employees. They imagine in some vague way that they would be in. jured by Government ownership, whereas in reality they would be better paid, they would have better hours, they would be se cure in their employment under civil service. On the New York Central ‘‘Twentieth Century'’ express— an admirably managed train, which would be duplicated a hun dred times over under Government ownership, by the way— there traveled the other day a man who does millions of business a year with the railroads. He probably does business a little more advantageously than his small competitors. And he asked this question: “If you favor Government ownership, mention ONE single thing imn wahic‘l; "the Government could manage this road better than it is anaged. This was the answer he got, made on behalf of the readers of this newspaper: “The New York Central Railroad and the other railroads com plained bitterly about the recent increase in wages on the railroads of the East . “The ivrcroasg amounted to six millions a year for ALL of the Eastern railroads, the New York Central and the others. And the managers of all of the railroads complained that that was a horrible tax—-glx MILLIONS in a year. “They could not bear it, and the people must not expect good service with low freight and passenger rates if they added six mil. lions at a time to the cost of wages on the railroads of the East. “You railroad men and owners make a great fuss about an in- i o g THE g | E=l S ] 0l w \| y” CAN SIR ORGIAN R-SAU Ny 5 e l The Season’s School Supplies crease of six millions a year for LABOR—for money spent for the good of the nation on tens of thousands of families of working men. But the New York Central system alone carries a debt of at least three hundred millions, upon which it must pay, with the va rious note-shaving, money-lending schemes of Wall Street, at least 6 per cent a year. “Therefore, this one single railroad—the New York Central— pays eighteen millions a year on a debt of three hundred millicns. “The Government of the United States, issuing Government owned railroad bonds GUARANTEED BY THE GOVERNMENT, could borrow the three hundred millions FOR THREE PER CENT, “Therefore, if the Government of the United States owned this New York Central Railroad, that railrcad’s three hundred millions of debts, handled with so much difficulty at 6 per cent interest, would be carried by the Government for 3 per cent interest. “AND ON THAT ONE ITEM THE GOVERNMENT WOULD SAVE NINE MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR—BY PAYING THREE PER CENT FOR THE MONEY INSTEAD OF SIX." You ask what the Government could do in the management of railroads better than private individuals do it—there is your answer. : The Government could save nine million dollars a year on the interest charges of one single railroad. And that would pay ALL THE SIX MILLIONS INCREASE OF WAGES AND LEAVE THREE MILLIONS OVER. And what the Government could do with the New York Central it could do with the other railroads. It could take them out of the hands of the money-lenders, the sharks, the note shavers, THE SO-CALLED HIGHLY RESPECTABLE BANK ERS that rob every railroad all the year round through usury, and that occasionally treat the New Haven as the Pierpont Mor gan firm did, ruining the stockholders and wrecking the road. The man who asks how the Government of the United States could possibly manage the railroads better than they are man aged now between speculating presidents and thievish bankers might just as well ask how the Government of the United States could manage some other business better than a gang of burglars could manage it. The Government in time WILL manage the railroads and own them. For they are the real ROADS of the country. Na tions have always owned their own roads. Occasionally highwaymen, cailed barons or lords of the manor, have stood here and there taking toll from the merchant. And to-day on our big national roads similar highwaymen, rail road barons and financial sharks, stand taking toll. But that isn't going to last forever. The time will be here soon when the Government will run the nation's roads, giving the best service, borrowing money with the nation’s unlimited credit at a low rate of interest, giv ing the benefit of the low rate of interest first to the public who travel, then to the merchants who ship their goods, then to the workingmen employed. If private individuals owned the postoffice, it would cost 25 cents to send a letter to Chicago, and $5 to send one to Alaska. What the Government has done for letters and for parcels it will do for the carrying of passengers and freight. : Let the railroad men remember that, Lo Week Ending Mar. 24, 1914.