l86 MlSSUUKl A(JKJCUL.TUKAL KEl'ORT. 



the Union ought to exact a pledge from every candidate for the Legis- 

 lature, that before he casts his vote for a United States Senator, that 

 Senator should pledge himself to work for and vote for the election of 

 United States Senators by direct vote of the people. Until we obtain 

 possession of our law-making bodies, wc cannot expect to control and 

 regulate the railroads, the corporations and the trusts, which arc now 

 preying upon the public. But, with i)ublic ownership of our law- 

 making bodies, we could obtain control of public utilities that are now 

 private monopolies. With public ownership of the railroads there 

 would follow a parcels post system which would relieve the people from 

 the merciless extortion of the greatest highway robbers of modern 

 times, the express companies. The telegraph service would be at- 

 tached to ever}^ postoffice, where it belongs ; and the grip of many 

 other monopolies would be broken. Now someone will accuse me of 

 talking politics — ^I am not talking politics — I am talking self-preserva- 

 tion. If President Roosevelt were nominated four years hence on a 

 Republican platform declaring for the public ownership of railroads, 

 the telegraph, a parcel post system, and the election of United States 

 Senators by direct vote of the people, T would vote for him. And if 

 Wm. J. Bryan were nominated on such a platform by the Democrats 

 I would vote for him. .A.nd if I were nominated for the Legislature 

 on such a platform two years hence, I would vote for myself. T lost 

 my last election by not voting for myself, and T will never do it again. 

 People think of public ownership of public utilities as a strange 

 doctrine. They forget that the government manages the postofFice, 

 the most gigantic business, the most intricate, and with more details 

 than any other business ever inaugurated by man. They also forget 

 that more miles of railroad arc owned and operated by the govern- 

 ment than by corporations. I go on the principle that if my neighbor 

 does a thing a certain way and it is a big success, that it will pay me 

 to investigate his business and do likewise. When other nations can 

 give their people cheap passenger rates and freight rates, and make 

 their railroads revenue produc^^rs, it is certainly worth our while to 

 consider who has the better way. It is sometimes said that public 

 ownership of railroads would give too much chance for corruption. 

 Wouldn't it be better to have corrupt officials occasionally in the pub- 

 lic service, w1hm\- we would get at them and kirk- Iheni nut, than to 

 have them continually in the private concerns where we can't touch 

 them with a forty-foot pole? I firmly believe that the final victory 

 of the people over monopolies is to be had only in public ownership 

 of public utilities. It is coming, but it is not here yet, and until it 



