| Show U Showing of of lo 01 Tho queston question of public ownership or of pUblic s Is fIt fart nb absorbing lit at attention tenton says the National Rural Ruml and when hen by partisanshIp or the people tre are rapidly reaching the conclusion that I it affords n a solution to man many problems In the fir first t Instance It would ho be one ot of the most ef te means that could be adopted tor or doing away with much of the prevalent political corruption b by the most prolifIc sOUrce ot of temptation ton As long as legislatures hove have power to grant specIal es In the way of oC valuable 11 franchises or hll have e control over ocr corporations holding such Cr fran franchises chiles with power to extend or curtail their powers the tho temptation on the part of oC corporations seeking such Irn fran franchises chisel to buy uy thom them or 01 extend th their lr privileges leges by bribIng legislators or the tu temptation on time the part or of the irresponsible sible tIe legislators to sandbag corpora corporations trill exist Also the wi Alo temptation on the part of franchise corpora lions to control elections own Interests wi will be prevalent The temptation all also to corrupt juries Md and judges to 10 avoid paying paying damages In damage sull suits such as now eist exIsts would be de destroyed Every thinking person wl will recognize th that t these ar are the mot most fruitful sources s soC of oC corruption In or our political system affecting all legislative boies bodies from Crom the Istl itself InsignifIcant ta town n boards to Congress Secondly the principal baIs basis under lying the success or of railway rebates and discriminations without which but very tow few could be d destroyed Stand ar aix 01 Oil and the coal combines odly owe their existence nce to lon In their favor Cavor b by the railroads antI and andI other transportation lines The same I Is true truo of oC othero others Time argument advanced by Mr Paul Morton In his betor before the tho In commission In favor ot of pools is hi really an argument for public owner ownership ownership ship lie Hp said that a system of f pooling contracts put a premium 01 ott hon honesty sty Ind and makes I It expensive for Cor rl rail railroads roads to make any of the tho or 01 rebates thich are arc now the tho cause causo of IO so much complaint before th the commission le lie stated also that It would protect smal small and small towns tons to an extent which I is not nat poasi blo bather the tho present Un this Is true The Tho weakness however lies In the fact that the pub public lie lic dare not trust such a a power In the heads of oC a few tew men who teaches would Use such a power to the few fow RS as against the many rime public Is perfectly willing willingto to trust Iselt itself and I It Is se sate only to trust sUch a formidable power t to n a p pee pie pies government responsible directly to the people Under public ownership It would be Impossible for tor a C tW W big frs In Chi Chicago caiO cago to get together every cory nIght n as testimony before the Industrial corn com mission Iho shown the they now do and fx fix the pric price of gin grain for time the next day which can only be bc done through cooperation ot of the railways I It la is true the Inter Interstate state commerce commIssion and the laws are very cry against 11 ID lug rebates t I but the railroads secretly violate thele these laws I It also to reason that ownership would nuM graty greatly reduce the coat ost of service The vast lt sums which every railway III arni other r public corr corpor lions now rolde for tor the pUr e ot of influencing elections maintaining lob lobbies bles bies and bribing legislators also the salaries of the many high priced 11 law yore many ot of whom salaries equal to that of the President ot of the United Stales the waste of oC and especially the money which the roads now of n necessity It eu earn to toay pay ay on enormous Issues of o would b be saved to the public sae I C |
