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government ownership is necessary and it does
not believe that the people will favor govern
ment ownership of any kind "if the railroads
will themselves, in the interest of fair play and
public protection, favor a policy of widest pub
licity of their affairs and of reasonable govern
ment regulation of rates." The "if" in that sen
tence is tho important word. If the railroads will
act fairly but the railroads have refused. Not
only have they refused to actN fairly, but they
have filled the United States senate with their
representatives and have impudently obstructed
all remedial legislation attempted by the people.
Not only do their representatives oppose any leg
islation regulating railroads, but they are the
representatives of all other forms of organized
wealth and stand between the people and relief
of every kind.
Tho Minneapolis Journal sees in state owner
ship "a continual tangle not only on the question
of rates but in the manner of operation." It has
visions of trains "stopping at each state line to
change crews, etc." These difficulties are not
only imaginary, but those who imagine them ig
nore existing facts. Train crews change now, not
at state lines to be sure, but, at division points.
Sometimes there are two or three divisions in a
state. Take the New York Central rom New
.York to Buffalo how many times do the crews
change? Any one who has traveled any distance
on a train knows that conductors change as well
as engineers and brakemeh; and yet the traffic
goes right on. In traveling over the Burlington
from Chicago to Lincoln, Nebraska, the passen
ger is carried by at least three train crews, and
three different conductors punch his ticket. Ji
traveling from New York to Chicago the interests
of the passengers are looked after by several
different train crows and as many conductors; and
it may be that his car is carried through Canada,
twice across the International boundary, and' yet
travel is not interrupted. Would it be any more
embarrassing to have the division point at the
state line rather than ten miles to either side?
Some of tho opposition papers have used the mail
service as an illustration of the necessity of federai
ownership, if we have government ownership at
all. But the operation of the mails, instead of
being an argument against state ownership is an
argument in its favor. It shows how easy it is
tor . the federal government to operate, its mall
.service without owning. any railroads at all. It
JwM mall cars but it can, &aye:tbos riun oyr
. state lines as well as oyer private' otfes. The, fact
that the mall service is conducted so successfully
without the federal ownership of any of the rail
roads shows how easily interstate commerce can
be conducted with, the state owning the rail
roads. Interstate commerce will then, as now,
be regulated by the federal government. Inter
state rates will be subject to the control of the
government. No state could interfere with or
embarrass another state even if it wanted to ,do
so; and the people of the state could be safely
relied upon to look after local rates.
Not only is state ownership feasible but it has
already been tried in other countries. Advocates
of private ownership of railroads may be ex
pected to fight state ownership more bitterly than
they would federal ownership, for the reason that
state ownership is a thing that can be tried at
once; whereas, federal ownership-.must be post
poned until a majority of both houses and the
president concur in the purchase or building of a
railroad. If, after congress acted, the constitu
tionality of the act were raised, and the supreme
court decided against its constitutionality, it would
then be necessary to secure two-thirds of both
houses before a constitutional amendment could
bo submitted, and then three-fourths of the states
would have to concur, or it would be necessary
to have a convention of the states. The difficulties
in the way of federal ownership are so much
, greater than the obstacles in the way of state
j ownership that all advocates of private ownership
: may bo expected to Attack state ownership, as the
i Wall Street Journal and the Minneapolis .Journal
i have done. But these attacks, instead of anawer
! ihg the argument in favor of estate ownership
1 merely prove the effectiveness of the remedy.
It would have been very diffjcul.t to obtain
municipal ownership of municipal franchises
through the actions of congress, 'because It "would
. have been necessary to secure a majority, of both
houses and the concurrence of the president, and
vthis would have been extremely difficult, if not
impossible. But as each locality had the right' to
undertake the matter for itself, the cities mtost
advanced in this reform made experiments, and
( their success induced other cities to try it.
So in the matter of state ownership of rail
roads. If tho states that are ready for It make
the attempt, their success will be an object les-
The Commoner.
eon which will be patent1 in bringing other states
to state ownership.
The friends of private ownership also know
that under federal ownership they can play one
section against another and can. urge the repre
sentatives of different sections to object to any
purchase or building that does not inclifde their
section. If an experiment is attempted in one
section, the. sectional argument will be used
against it; and if an attempt is made to take all
the. railroads at once, the magnitud6 of the un
dertaking will be emphasized to frighten the peo
ple out of the attempt.
State ownership rids the country of the evils
of private railroad monopoly, and it is not open
to the objection that can be made against federal
ownership. It operates along the line of least
resistance. The objections that will be made, by
the great metropolitan dailies can not deceive the
people when the advantages of an immediate
state ownership are brought to their attention.
When, the people see that the relief is in their
own hands and that it can be obtained without
sacrifice of their devotion to local self-government,
the vVictory will, be hastened. '
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Mr. Bryan's Speech ''
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Addressing .the Nebraska democratic state
convention, held at Lincoln Wednesday, August
10, Mr. Bryan said: ''
"I desire, in the first place, to express my
appreciation, of the ' splendid delegation that the
democracy of the state sent to the St. Louib con
vention. We worked together with harmony and
enthusiasm. We helped to make a -good platform.
The platform did not contain all that we wanted
but we kept out some things that we objected
to. I did what I could to prevent the nomination
of Judge Parker, hut he was nominated and I
'want to see him elected. While he does not stand
with we'stern democrats on all questions he stands
for 'enough that is good to justify us -in giving
hlnr a cordial support. He will, if elected, put
an4 end to imperialism, which we believe is a
menace to our country. With imperialism out of
the way the araiy can be reduced and the ex
penses' of that department cut down. He will be
'able, to put to rest the race issue that now inter
feres with 'the consideration dr'eeoribmic questions
and hKviil substitute the sflirit of , peace and
WgWYoV'the blustering, warlike spirit which
President Roosevelt has introduced. Mr. Parker's
election will not end -our fight for economic re
forms, it will open the way for a more effective
fight by removing the things that distract public
attention. Let no one think that our cause can
be aided by his defeat. We can never help our
party or our element of the party by endangering
our country's welfare. We can not afford to risk
a continuance of the policies for which President
Roosevelt stands. If our principles are sound, as
I believe they are, Mr. Parker's election can not
endanger them, even if he opposes us on some
questions. Those have little faith in the triumph
of the-truth who think that our cause can be
defeated by the opposition of any president Let
us elect him and then with some of the evils
removed we can proceed with renewed vigor to
attack the other evils."
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Unemployed Labor
;IAT N6w York Triune of August 4 has an
editorial acknowledgment that times are not what
the republican leaders boast them to be. Under
the heading "Not the time to strike," the Tribune
says that the laboring men ought to ask "Is it
expedient, not is it lawful?" and insists that it
. is most unbusinesslike to quit work to compel
an employer to do what he can not afford To do
or what he can not be made to do, because there
1Su8 n-1?1 unmployea labor that he can set
all the labor he needs." The Tribune coinpafes
the Indus rial conditions- three or four years ago
-with .conditions now. It says that then ma ml
facturers W "working their , plants up 5 th e
limit and competing. ,sp warmly for mbor that
few men were-idle, while now conditions are re
verse, -and if -any man gives up h s job th6re
are ,other men eager to take it, at the wages he
refused." It declares that there is VqS wi
doing in this country than four years ago "and
a largey .number of people to do -it. How can thi
confession be made to harmonize wi iVin
.pretensions? The republican party boasts thi?H
has established the gold standard) it Toasts tha
t, has given protection to American industries H
rf 0Ut'GVything, and claims credit for an
that the. Lord has done; and yet, acrdto
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the Tribune; we are on the down cradn
men being turned out of employment ami ioK V,lh
unable to strike . for better wages' hL borers
army of the unemployed is waTtill to tT
places-with these conditions; wha i to hpVhe,r
Ised the laboring men. The repuS leans te$T
everything their pwn way. ThcyZvc Ion !i 8
by a large increase in the gold LppW- thev
been favored by good crops, and yl t ottj
s scarcer and business net so good. What S?
has the republican party to offer? What mZ V
does it make? Pointing-with pride to '2
conditions" that -are fast passing can nnl
the solicitude of those who look forward to A
abTut It7hat IS thG rePUbHCan Wt
The fact is that republican legislation is not
responsible for such prosperity as we have hi?
.and there is nothing in the republican program
that promises real and permanent prosperity for
the future. A high tariff has made the nianutac'
turer richer at the cost of the consumer; the trust,
have made the trust magnates opulent, but it baq
been by extortion and exploitation; and Provi
dence, by opening up new gold fields, has tempor
arily rescued the republican party from the nat
ural consequences of a gold standard, but the end
is coming. It. Is 'only -a question of time when
the democratic party wM be called upon to save
the country froiri the conditions which the re
publican party Is creating; and when that time
comes, the money question will be found to be a
live issue. In the meantime the election of Judge
Parker, will save us from the extravagance and
menace of imperialism and militarism and leave
the people free to grapple again with the econ
omic questions which confront the nation.
Joking ,fe Unsafe
Mr. Jame& Dunbar, tt republican, presided at
the New Albany, Ind., Chautauqua and in inho
ducing Mr. Bryan amused the audience with a
bit of fiction which is reported as follows in a
"Special to the Record-Herald," :
r ' Louisville, Aug. G.T-William J. Btyan re-
' ceived hispay in a gold draft for lecturing nt
.; jGlenwood Park Chautaqua between Now-Al-
bany and Jeffersonville. Mr. Bryan demanded
-vjpay in the yellow-' meta'l, taccording to James,
.Dunbar jOf New Albany, ..who, .in introducing
Mr. i Bryan, said: .1
The board of directors of the Chautauqua,
thinking to please -Mr. Bryan; offered to pay
him In the silver paid into the coffers of the
association by the people who had come to
hear him. Mr. Bryan said he wanted to be
paid in gold.
"This rather complicated matters, and
messengers were dispatched to a bank to get
the silver changed into gold. The bank was
closed, and the incident was ended by the di
rectors agreeing to 'forward a draft on a New
York bank payable n'-gold.V
Mr. Bryan smilingly assented to Mr. Dun
bar's statement' ' .
Mr. Bryan not only did not assent to Hie
statement but denied it. After s'tating that he
had not heard before of the committee's dllemna,
he replied in a humorous vein. The audience en
joyed the bit of pleasantry but the Record-Herald's
correspondent takes the matter seriously and
rushes it to his paper as if it were an actual oc
currence. 1
The incident, however, serves to emphasize
the bimetalllst's advantage. He 'believes in Hie
use of both gold and silver and he believes in
gold certificates and in silver certificates as well
as in gold and silver. The silver certificate makes
it as convenient to use silver as to use any other
form of paper money. Very few people cany
goldless people carry gold than carry silver. Sil
ver certificates and gold certificates are more
convenient than the coin.
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Corruption in the Departments
The president, in his acceptance speech, takes
occasion to defend the 'administration against tne
charge of -corruption in 'the various departments.
He says, fNever has the administration of Xhe
government been on a cleaner or higher loveiJI
never has the public work of tho nation been
done more honestly or effectually." This is wj
president's statement, but there is one fact tiiac
answers it completely. That there is corruption
everybody knows because several offenders wer
prosecuted by the administration. The Jonfl? J
the" president place great emphasis upon 1 iu
' tfactnthat he prosecuted the offenders. But it w
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