Show I IOne GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP One of the distinguishing marks of revolutionary politics today oday is the demand that the government own and operate public utilities such as telegraphs telegraphs telegraphs tele tele- graphs and railroads Of course socialism for instance advocates advocates cates ates the public ownership of all the h. h he means ans of production and and di dis- dis However owing owing- to the he gigantic combinations of ap- ap capital apal ital al in the manipulation of great railway ailway systems and to the apparent apparent ap- ap parent arent extortionate rates charged ed d the tile people have had always alway before them the evident abuse of f and naturally have turned to the various panaceas offered chief among among- which is iS government ownership It may be admitted for the sake of argument arg that the pubic public pub pub- lie lic ic ownership plan is correct and that the trend of the times imes is bringing the ideas nearer nearer nearer near near- er to realization it must also be admitted that the day is yet quite distant The most optimistic optimistic optimistic will agree with the statement statement state- state ment nent that even when we decide to o so modify our national affairs as is to make public ownership we then shall have before before before be be- fore us a long of In France where socialism is isar far ar stronger and more advanced in n the working out of its philosoPhy philosophy phy than in this country pubic public pub pub- lic ic ownership of Df railroads has been een a financial failure unable to compete with privately owned roads Socialists claim that the government bot bad roads but bul the he fact remains that they have not yet passed the experimental stage over there and yet ret they are years ahead of this country in ill n this line of progress or retrogression retrogression retro retro- retrogression whichever we may consider consider con con- sider it The Denver Rio Grande has lust issued its statement for the fiscal year ending June 30 1914 which shows that the preferred stock earned a dividend of only per cent notwithstanding the he road carried passengers passengers passengers pass pass- engers at an average of cents per mile almost equal to the he previous years year's business This his roads road's earning power is watched by all financiers who contemplate the investing o of money in railroads because it is isa isa isa a connecting link in a transcontinental transcontinental transcontinental trans trans- continental chain and indicative of railroads the country As a dividend payer the D D. R R. G. G has not been a great success due possibly to the competition f the Senta Fe and the U U. P. P both having less grade and expensive expensive ex ex- pensive road bed These conditions have to do dovith with the building of another road thru the Rocky Mountains But Bu aside from the dividend side o of the he question it is certain that i if the he government undertook the building of a commercial line in the he United States it would mean commercial war and a general genera financial climax unless governmental govern govern- mental policies and national ideas deas were first completely modi modi- fled fied A road from Denver to Salt Lake must get transcontinental transcontinental transcontinental trans conti business to make it pay however rich the field is between those points To get this business business business busi busi- ness friction between the government government government gov gov- and the would result if the government build such a road With these facts and the Panama canals canal's coming coming- into competition with all continental continental conti conti- carriers it is unlikely that the government will launch out into the public ownership business for many ally from Salt Lake to Denver 0 p |