The Project Gutenberg EBook of Government Ownership of Railroads, and War
Taxation, by Otto H. Kahn

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Title: Government Ownership of Railroads, and War Taxation

Author: Otto H. Kahn

Release Date: July 22, 2009 [EBook #29493]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Government Ownership
of Railroads,
and
War Taxation

OTTO H. KAHN

AN ADDRESS BEFORE THE
NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL CONFERENCE BOARD
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 10, 1918

I

_GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP OF RAILROADS_

Paternalistic control, even when entirely benevolent in intent, is
generally harmful in effect. It is apt to be doubly so when, as
sometimes occurs, it is punitive in intent.

The history of our railroads in the last ten years is a case in point.

In their early youth our railroads were allowed to grow up like spoiled,
wilful, untamed children. They were given pretty nearly everything they
asked for, and what they were not given freely they were apt to get
somehow, anyhow. They fought amongst themselves and in doing so were
liable to do harm to persons and objects in the neighborhood. They were
overbearing and inconsiderate and did not show proper respect to their
parent, i. e., the people.

But the fond parent, seeing how strong and sturdy they were and on the
whole, how hustling and effective in their work, and how, with all their
faults of temper and demeanor, they made themselves so useful around the
house that he could not really get along without them, only smiled
complacently at their occasional mischief or looked the other way.
Moreover, he was really too busy with other matters to give proper
attention to their education and upbringing.

As the railroads grew towards man's estate and married and begot other
railroads, they gradually sloughed off the roughness and objectionable
ways of their early youth, and though they did not sprout wings, and
though once in a w