The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, September 09, 1904, Page 12, Image 13
L 12 The Commoner. volctmb4,;number 34 r4 Bn It 1 '" lip, f V 0 PS R- rw i K " wi , Year. 1840.. 1848. . 1850.. 18G0. . 1870. . 1880.. 1888.. 1900.. out of fifty-two nations of the world havo adopted tlio policy of govorn mont ownorsliip in wnoio or m part, if twenty-ouo countries own all their railroads, if this condition has been brought about not suddenly but after caretui trial, it 4 follows without dls . cussion or other testimony that It must be a success and I am at loss to know what argument can prevail against this test of experience. This condition does, exist, and it has been an unqualified and uniform success undor all conditions and with all kinds of governments from the dospotlc monarchy of Russia to the referendum governed republic of Switzerland. It has been a success in new and un settled countries like Australia, Africa, and South America, as well as in thickly populated and fully developed . countries llko Belgium, Germany and Austria. Belgium was the nrst country to build and operate railroads on gov ernment account, commencing in 1834. Austria followed four years later, but in 1848 sold out to private companies. Russia built a railroad from St. Peters burg to Moscow in 1851 but sold it to a ..private company In 18C0. Botli of theso countries repented tho error later and in 1870 when so many other countries eutercd upon the policy of slate ownorsliip they commenced to repurchase and now each owns sub stantially all Its railroads. From that time on the policy gained ground with every acquisition ana on every Rand " until the present time, and now among' others Prussia is about to purchase all the railroads not already owned by the government. Switzerland bought all lior roads at once ilvo years ago aud issued bonds therefor at V& per cent. Prussia pur chased its railroad part at a time and when interest rates were highor and is sued bonds mostly at 4 per cent. Bel gium got Its roads at about cost. Ger many paid such an enormous price that In Bomo cases Investors received 16 per cent on their investments, or In other words, thoy received four times the cost of their railroad stock in 4 per cent bonds. (Enc. Brit., Vol., 20, page 251.) The Australian coun tries bought first the railroads that had been extended so far into unset tled territories tltat thoy were unable to pay running expenses, extended them farther built up a business, set tlod the country and havo already made them 'SO valuable Consul Gen- eral Marata, in the report hereafter re ferred to, says that they would sell for more than the national debt. France in 1878 took the first five roads out of bankruptcy and. soon made them profitable, and generally the nrst pur chases of governments have been of railroads which were a financial fail ure in private hands. As a financial success , government ownership out ranks private ownership beyond com parison. Our experience with the pos tal system Indicates what this govern ment could accomplish with the Bame economy applied to the operation of railroads. s The following table shows the growth and development of .govern ment ownership by decades. The year - 1848 is added to show the falling "off 1 caused by Russia and Austria dispos ing of their small" holdings at that . time-to private companies. The year 1S38 Is Substituted for IKUft "houce that is the year in w)iich tho Frencn Berria ! Africa government collected and published such full statistics on the subject: No. of Miles countries owned by owning govern- failroadss ments. .':. 2 495 .-.'.""3 ' " 987 . .'. .3t 470 .". .' (J 730 . . .14 3,500 ..124 . 29,074 ...31 - 167,813 ...42 " 167,813 Tho foregoing taore Js compiled from figures given in Encyclopedia Brittanica, volume 20, page 251, title Railroads; Mulhall's Dictionary, ex Governor JL.arrabee'3 book, The Rail road Question, and The Annals o the American Acadamy ofPbilaclelphfa. Tho following table showing gov ernment and private ownership by countries is taken from Senate Docu ment 53, first session of fifty-sixth con gress. I have made but one change, and that is to transferall tho mileage of France to tho public ownership col umn, for the reason that tho table shows that France has purchased the roads to bo delivered at the end of a- certain period, and furthermore, at tho time of the purchase France Se cured a control which amounts to ac tual possession today. I am sure that later statistics will very greatly in crease the public ownership column and decrease the private ownership. In overy instance where I am in pos session of later statistics the change since this table has been compiled (1900) shows an uninterrupted increase in public ownership. For instance, this table gives 795 miles private own ers, whereas later writers treat Bel glum as one of the countries owning all her roads. Govern- Private ment Countries. miles. miles. 1 Alsace-Loraine V . 1,078 , 981 Austria-Hungary 6,265 12,350 Baden ,034 Bavaria 573 3,034- Belgium '.'.' '7So ' - 2,044 Brazil V 13,580 Brunswick .. 302 Bulgaria .- v 600 Cape of Good Hope.r. 254 -. 2,550 Ceylon .. f "t ' - 297 Chili.. , . ? S82D - 4,57J) Colombia , ... . .. ;-.',-. ';. -. ' V' - . 670 Denmark ?i;'. . ., 367 " - 3..067 Dutch 'East Indies .30.0 . , 993 Equador l.'. 53 Egypt 1,369 England 21,277 Finland ;....... 1,485 France 22,700 Germany 2,817 26,085 Greece. . '. 59- Guatemala lbO India...., ' 2,950 17,440 Italy.- 2,900 - 5,321 Japan ; v 1,873 . 631 Mexico.. . .,. . .'. 7,380 " Natal "' 402 Netherlands . . ; .""". 801 898 New South Wales.... 2,639 New Zealand 167 , . '2,918 Nicaragua 91-; Norway v 1,020 Parauguay 156 Pew r.. ...... .. 124 Portugal , 539 Queensland. Roumania 15 ri J.VU0V1A. 4 0 HrJ-ilHl Mi.. w 1. outn Australia-; . fUHTiicv nmti j Snain !T. ssrGZT Hn4uA Aha4 nolill Aau $ a I - a.lt f 4. J " UMMNr-iMMt'MrvMi nMiMaMu.i .rr-J .lwltzerland -. I ..-. . ' ', .-r -r -- mrmrmrwm -. -..- o www -W WMaWVDUinTlUlt nWUl 1A I lw. JnwioAUtiely Tfeitevea mkI ateAliitAiv jhupab TasmAwia. .if . ekX - . . w 1 j- iv xnmwmwofk nuuueacy. uo&tttpatlott . catarrh or the Mucous Membranes. It isa poe Itf re ptciflo lor Contrestod Liver and Kidneys and Inflammation of Bladder, tones tho Appe tite and Nervous System, and purities ana nrlohe the Blood. ' twenty-Ave cents at Drugstores faralarsra battle, usual-Hollar size, but a. trial bottle -will 19 8$ttt.fre an prepaid to every reader of this papfwlmfHMKlaltatid writes fer it to Drake , . Vj k A "Twrkyi,.-...'.,.,. 2,542 Venezuela . . Victoria .,. West Australia... 4J ' 351 8,00 91,4 t2,43(T 1,831, 20,758 .: S54 1,000 1,S63J 232 2,351 . . 47 406 3,122 970 Total miieasro JD,854 167,813 In view .of this-woHOerrul crowtli nf FrMulaCjwiy,I)rakQBuilllng,Clilcwo. 111. government ownership it is. perhaps unnecessary to quote authorities to fihowthat the policy is a success, hut I will quote briefly from a few persons of unquestionable knowledge and re liability., 'Among the following quota tions) those from consuls can be found in. tho House .Mia. Doc. 2nd Sess., 53d Cong., Vols. 45 and "46. "It is, however, improbable that the people concerned will ever allow this great possession (the railways) to vpass again into private hands." (Daniel Marata, consul general at Melbourne.) . "In recent years a tendency has strongly developed in Russia as well" as in other countries of continental liJurope which alms at changing pri vate ownership of railways into state ownership. One by one private rail way lines have thus been falling under full control of the Russian government befng thus absorbed in the state rail way .system. In the course of tho present year (1894) no less thaV ten different lines have been transferred' from private owners to the govern ment and on the first of January the greatest of the remaininK lines is ex pected to follow suit." (Charles Jonas, consul general at St. Petersburg.) "It is impossible to trace, however briefly, the history of French rail roads wfthout being impressed, with tho intimate relation of government with the system. From tho verv first there has prevailed the idea of ulti mate state ownership." (Fr&nlQ H. MasonA consul general, Frankfort.) "Since then (1871) the progress of railroads has been rapid and the de sirability of government ownership has not been seriously questioned." (Helen Page Bates on Australian railways, in Ann. Am. Acadmy, Vol. 12.) . "Prussian theory places railroads in one category, ordinary business in the other. We have, until recently, in sisted upon their essential similarity Prussian history establishes the sound ness of the first and tho falsity of the second theory. Continental JEurope recognized the danger of laissez faire in railroad business much earlier than America." (Prof. B. H. Myers, of Wisconsin S. U. I., in Ann. of Am. Academy,, Vol. 12.) "Within the Jast few months I have had occasion to meet men from both these countries (Australia and Now South Wales) who are thoroughly well informed not only as to the operar Hon Of the railroads but as to the sentiment of their people and I was assured that the. idea of discontinuing public ownership and allowing .the railroads to pass again Into private hands would find no support in pub lic opinion or he regarded as among future possibilities." (M. A. Knapp,' chairman international state com merce commission, m Ann. of Am. . Academy, Vol. 19, page 72.) Speaking of the movement for gov ernment ownership throughout tho world Chairman- Knapp in the same article says: "On the whole the ten dency is strongly toward government ownership.1' It will thus ITe seen that'.govefnment ownership of railways Is -not a new Issue, and it is not socialistic. The united States sunreme rnnrf ,, ery state in the union "has held that railways are simply improved high ways" and when built by private com panies Is 'done by virtue of powers delegated from the government In overy country whero tho niiM ' has been started it is at the present U1UD UD,U6 yuoiieu 10 complete own or- -,v. "v u.o wyua no coruscation no condemnation, and no Mttgationto spealc of It has ajl been accompnahed by negotiation and purchase. What forty-two of the principal countries of ?m world . have accompushed with nothing but the very best or results I fwao man will say that the United Stai.es could not do ,egUany In answer, to the objection .'that the incraaaad natrnnaM wm.i.4 . z 7 " --" "wuw exert an undue influence in pontics it is Buf. ficient to quote the words of Chair man Knapp in the article referred to "We may well -question whether government ownership would under Any circumstances introduce into our politics a more dangerous or vicious force than the railways now exert." At most the railway employes couid do no more than give an unuuo strength to tho policies' and principles of. thff party in power. They would, part of the time at least, favor good laws. As It is riow, xtho whole nowor is exerted for themselves and against the best interests of tho whole peo ple. Certainly we would have no more railway lobbies, no. more scandals in tho election of United States senators and other officers.- We would see an immediate end of thegreat corruption funds which have so successfully con trolled elections and nullified the will of the people. Remove this one influence rrom me manipulation of our elections and we shall experience the good results of a free expression of the will of the peo ple, at the polls such "as has not been felt for more than a quarter of a cen tury if not longer. This has been the experience of oth er nations. Immediately upon its adoption has -followed the perfection of the civil service laws.. The whole power -of the railway employes has been uniformly thrown in that direc tion with Irresistible force. As I said in the Waterloo speech: "The railroads, are therefore the A lAfeak Heart 'neglected means heart disease, tho most, common cause of sudden death. Dr. Miles' Heart Cure will strength en, regulate and cure weak hearts. 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