The Railroad Question by William Larrabee is a book I purchased not only for its beauty but for its subject matter. The question tossed around in this book, which was written in 1895, was whether railroads should be privately owned or owned and regulated by the government. The author declares from the start that they should be owned and maintained by the government. That if privately owned they will eventually lose their main purpose as being a service to the people.

I’ve had this book for a while now, and I’m realizing that I think it might be signed by the author himself who was once the 13th governor of Iowa. I compared the ink to a receipt I have from around the same time (1890’s) and the ink is in the same condition. If it’s not signed and noted with a personal dedication page (pictured) then why is it signed twice under his picture—eh?These are little mysteries I try to solve in my free time. 😁

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