What he meant was that a control strong enough to eliminate discrimination, would not be regulation, but ownership or quasi-ownership. So long as men representing private interests continue to possess control over rates and services they will continue to discriminate, for private interests demand discrimination. And if control of rates or services or both is placed in a public body, public ownership or quasi-public ownership is thereby established, for control is the essence of ownership. It makes little difference who has the title to a farm if I have the control of it and can determine the way in which the work shall be done and the price at which the crops shall be sold. The “owner” in such case is little more than a mortgagee—he has the interest on his capital, whatever I choose to allow him, and that’s all. It would seem that if the people wish to control the railroads, they should buy them at a fair value, and not establish complete or quasi-ownership without compensation, under the name of regulation and control. This is an interesting line of thought, and philosophically has considerable force in respect to control extending beyond what the public may have a right to claim as a partner by reason of the bestowal of franchises and other benefits. It is also important to note that only substitution of managers owing allegiance to the public interest in place of managers representing private interests can eliminate the motives to discrimination, and remove the antagonism of interest between the owners and the public, which is the root of all railroad evils. This is a practical world, however, and the practical facts are that the difficulties in the way of public ownership of railways in this country at present are very great, and that much good may be accomplished by judicious regulation. The long and short haul clause may be made effective; the railroads can be prevented from paying shippers more for cars or switches than they would pay each other; private car-lines, express companies, and water carriers can be brought within the Commerce Act; the Commission can be given power to name a reasonable rate or practice in place of one found unjust, and either put it in force at once, subject to revision in a special court devoted to transportation cases, and acting promptly on all appeals, or themselves take the facts and their conclusions at once to the court and get a ruling before putting the order into effect; and railroad managers can be prohibited from having any interest in any concern that can be aided by transportation favors over their roads, as is already the case on James J. Hill’s Great Northern, except with respect to Mr. Hill himself.