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MARCH 15, 1907
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Hi rWiicAL &0CIETYThe Comi?,LOncr-
afraid of-, state nnd national ownorshiD of such
railroad linos as may bo required for the purpose
of accomplishing complete regulation by the gov
ernment and by the states both of the rates
charged and services furnished.
How better could the states of Tennessee and
Kentucky serve their people than to build a rail
road from Chattanooga, connecting there with our
state road to a point on the. Ohio river? How bet
ter could the states of Ohio and Indiana serve
their people than to extend a line from such a
point on the Ohio river to the Great Lakes, and
then how could Georgia better serve the people
of all these states than to build a road from At
lanta to the ocean? AVe might then have from the
laUqs and from the Ohio river to Uie ocean a
great transportation company, operated not for
selfish gain to pay dividends lipon improperly is
sued stocks and bonds, but to bring the people
the, very best service at the very least cost.
These are great problems. Let us steadfastly
set our faces to the front, determined that Georgia
will contribute her part towards protecting the
rights of the shippers and the rights of the great
masses of the people against every unjust burden.
oooo
FROM JACKSON TO ROOSEVELT
In an editorial entitled "From Jackson to
Roosevelt" the Wall Street Journal says:
"The signing of the Aldrich bill is the first im
portant step in the abolishing of the independent
treasury system which was established in Van
Buren's administration as a result of Jackson's
war on the United States bank. Prom Jackson to
Roosevelt covers a period of over seventy years.''
'Evidently the Aldrich bill is entitled to consid
erable more attention than It is receiving in the
editorial columns of American newspapers.
OOOO
. . A REMARKABLE EDITORIAL
In its issue of jtfarch 0 the Wall Street Journal,
which is evidently the most conscientious financial .
publication in Wall street, printed a three-line edi
torial. It was one of the best editorials ever
printed in an American newspaper. It ought to
be displayed in every Wall street counting-room;
and not onlyjn Wall street but throughout the
world. With all of its simplicity it is a remark
able editorial-; remarkable alike for its brevity and
its truth. Here it is:
"The Human and the Divine: The mere hu
manJthi.vus working alone barely, earns expenses;
ItStho'diYJlne iii us' that yields dividends."
'"." OOOO ....
COLNTTHE DAYS OF SUNSHINE
Count the days of sunshine, marke them on the
pane
Whdre' you're sure to see them through the rifist'
and rain; -." '. ' '
They are. sent to brighten coming dreary days,
Count' thcPdays of sunshine, fill the hours vith.
praise:1 ' . vl-
r
Think" about the sunshine, life is gladder far
Than we sometimes deem it; through the gloom a
'- star ',- .- ' ' '
Ever shines' to guide us when "a song we raise,
God's witlilh :tho future and the cloudy days.
-.'ft' .... '
Talk about the sunshine with 'a glad content; '
Thank the? gracious Giver for each blessing sent;
Toll of loving kindness; labyrinthian ways
Oft, e'en 'this side heaven, lead to happier days.
Sing about' the sunshine, it will soften pain,
Lift your courage higher, bid you hope again;
Doubt js for a moment, shadows fiee away;
of works under the reclamation act, Senator Ncw-
laniis saiu:
"The irrigation committees of the senate and
house visited the various projects during the last
summer, arid we had opportunity of observing the
quickness and extent of the work, and wo were
amazed at the progress that had been made in
the short space of three years. At the same ses
sion of congress p bill was passed for the con
struction of a postoftlce building, to cost fiftv or
sixty thousand dollars in the city of Kono, Nov.
That building is not yet constructed the founda
tions are not yet laid; and yet the reclamation
service lias during the intervening period expended
over $2,000,000 in reclamation work in Nevada;
has diverted the Truckec river, a stream of floods
during certain seasons of the year, a distance of
thirty miles by a new river over Into the Carson
valley; has constructed dams and locks and all
the hydraulic machinery that was necessnrv to
make Unit enterprise effective, and the water is
now being turned out upon the soil." x
About half of the three years referred to by
Senator Nowlands was occupied by the extensive
surveys and investigations needed to determine
the feasibility and cost of the project, and the ex
tensive construction referred to had occupied
about a year and a half.
In addition to this, the reclamation service has
made surveys and investigations of nearly 100
projects in the arid region, has determined the
feasibility of about thirty of them, and begun
construction on twenty-four. Approximately one
half million of acres will be placed under irriga
tion by next spring, and this area will be nearly
doubled in another year.
To accomplish this work, it was necessary after
the task began to organize the entire service
around the nucleus of about a dozen engineers.
Tills has been accomplished in the space of a lit
tle over four years, and as a piece of government
work is the marvel of foreign and American en
gineers for the rapidity and elliciency with whidi
it lias been accomplished.
Though it is the aim to do this work mainly
by contract, it has been found very difficult to do
so on account of the immense amount of railroad
and other construction work in progress in the
West, which has compelled the service to enter
extensively upon construction work' by force ac
count without the intervention of contractors. In -several
'cases large Contracts have been let and
the contractors have failed. In the case-of the ;.
Gunnison tunnel, t,he contractor accomplished lit'--tic
except his own bankruptcy and an illustration
of how the work should not be done. The gov
ernment is now pushing that work by the direct
employment of labor and has accomplished the
work with speed and efficiency, making what
is believed to be the world's, record in the rapidity
of driving a large tunnel.
The efficiency of the United States mail ser
vice' is generally conceded, but Secretary Shaw
explains this by saying that thb mftils are carried
"under contract.!' It is equally true that most
public buildings" 'erected by the treasury depart
ment are built under contract, so that this does
not explain the great discrepancy between the ef
ficiency of 'the mail service and the inefficiency of
the treasury department. '
That the government can accomplish results
with speed and efficiency is proved by the post
office department, and that it can do this without
the intervention of contractors is proved by the
interior department.
If the railways were owned and operated un
der a department where the controlling head felt
himself responsible for efficient and economical
.With the dawn of morning, Joy resumes her sway. service and believed that by proper administra
Westminster Review.
. ' OOOO
GOVERNMENT WORK
A reader of The Commoner sends in the fol
lowing: On September 15, in Memphis, Tenn., Secretary
Shaw attacked the idea of Public Ownership .of
Railways on the, ground that the "inherent nature
of public service" prevents the efficient and econ
omical accomplishment of any work.
In proof of this, the secretary cites the instance
of the erection of the public building In the city
of Chicago, which occupied nearly ten years, more
than it wtfultihave required It done by private
enterprise. ' He states furthermore that this was .
defended "With record proof that It had been'
about as expeditiously built as most structures of
its character erected by the government."
This is undoubtedly the case with the erection
of public buildings which are built under the di- f
rectidn tit Jlib 'supervising architect of the tresis- '
ury, a sunqruinzice ui me uuiiuruuiu sui-ouury, uuu
hat'
nrnVon bv
by the government. Jn'the Congressional Record
of December 10, lOOu; wTll bo foifnd the following
statement of facts. , Speaking of the construction
Li LJ.V- i ,
. ' . , '.''f ,, . i
tlon it could be accomplished, it undoubtedly
would be. but If It were placed under a secretary
who believed that the "inherent nature of public
service" absolutely prevented efficiency the results
would probably be comparable with the Chicago
public building.
The secretary says there are over 20,000 em
ployes in the treasury department, but that If this
was a private enterprise "every whit as much
work qould be accomplished with a reduction of
onp-third in number and one-fourth In salary of ,
those remaining.'' . If this is the case, no one but
the head of that department is responsible. Other
departments have shown that such inefficiency asT
tliis hi public business is unnecessary, and It may
be of interest in this connection to observe that
as a violator of the civil service rules in' their letter
and spirit the treasury department has the worst
reputation of any department in Washington.
It may be admitted that the postal service is
not as efficient or economical as it should be, but
this is due mainly to the lobbies of the railroad,
telegraph, and express companies, who by their
influence secure exorbitant rentals for mall cars,
prevent the extension of the parcels post, and se
cure a rate upon third-class matter double that on,
fourth-class matter and eight times that on see-'
ond-class matter, in order to prevent the' competi
tion of the pajcols -post with tha express' com''
t . " ' ,
5
panics. They also prevent the postal use of the
telegraph, which is today the quickest and one of
the most important means of transmitting Intel
ligence. It may further be admitted that no government
function can bo as economically or ejlielnnily ad
ministered as It should be until the railroads and
other powerful corporations are eliminated from
politics. No method of doing this Is known ex
cept public ownership of railways and other nat
ural monopolies.
hut even handicapped as they are by power
flu corporate Interference the postofllce and In
terior departments have demonstrated the great
superiority of public over private service due to
the fact that their primary object Is the accommo
dation of tlie public rather than the largest pos
sible profit irrespective of the public interest
OLD TIMES, OLD FRIENDS, OLD LOVE
There are no days like the good old days,
The days when we were youthful!
When humankind were poor of mind,
And speech and deeds were truthful;
Before a love for sordid gold
Became man's ruling passion,
And before each dame and maid became
Slave to the tyrant Fashion! ', .
There are no girls like the good old girls ',. ',
Against the world I'd stake 'cm!
As buxom and smart, and clean of heart .
As the Lord knew how to make 'em!
They were rich in spirit and common sense,
And piety all sunnortin':
They could bake and brew, and had taught school,
too,
And they made such likely courtln'!
There are no boys like the good old boys
When we wore boys together!
When the grass was sweet to the brown bare feet
That dimpled the laughing heather;
When tlie pewce sang to the Summer .dawn
Of the bee in the billowy clover, " ""' '
Or down. by the'mill the whip-pqor-will
"Echoed Ills' ill gh't.sDhg. over. '"3 '
'""' ' '"',
There is no love like tlie good ohlt love i, '.'5a)'
The love that mother gave. us!" ' .-''"''
We are old, old icon, yet we pino'agaln ,
Jflqr that precious grace God gave us! "
So, we dream and dream of the-good old times, . ,
And our hearts grow tenderer, fonder,
As those dear' old dreams bring soothing gleams
Of heaven away off yonder.
; , rKugeno Field.
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