Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 edition. Excerpt:..."that railroads partake so much of the nature of a monopoly that they must ultimately become public property and be managed by public officials in the interest of the whole community." 1 do not know that the country is reaoy for thi$ legislation. I do not know that the maiority of my own party favors it, but I believe an increased number of the members of all parties see in public ownership a sure remedy for discrimination between persons and places and for the extortionate rates for the carrying of freight and passengers. I then proceeded to outline a system of public ownership whereby the advantages of public ownership might be secured to the people without the dangers of centralization. This system contemplates Federal ownership of the trunk lines only, and the ownership of local lines by the several States. I further expressed it as my opinion that the railroads themselves were responsible for the growth of the sentiment in favor of public ownership and said that, while I believed the rate bill recently enacted should be given a fair trial, we might expect to see the railroads still more active in politics unless our experience with them differed from the experience we had had with franchise-holding corporations. This statement of my views has been assailed by some as an attempt to force these views upon the Democratic party and by some as an announcement of an intention to insist upon the incorporation of these views in the next Democratic national platform. Let me answer these two charges. I have tried to make it clear that I expressed my own opinion and I have never sought to compel the acceptance of my opinion by anyone else. Reserving the right to do my thinking, I respect the right of every one else to do his thinking....