The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-02-11
A POPULAR FALLACY.

A POPULAR FALLACT.
There is an old but trite expression
which advises as 70 look belOre we
leap" and We do not kBOw that it can
be applied more advantageoesly than
TO the popular movement now. on foot
to place The telegraph and railroad
systems directly under governmental
supervision and control. Without at
tempting to psEliate in the least the
abuses which exist under the. present
regime--it is very questionable whe-
Their the proposed change would &C.
Oomphsh the object in view-or rather
whether it would not increase the al
ready alarming accImula1ine patron
age of the government, to. sUah pro-
portion az to make cOsp detGt, to
secure a central government, task Of
easy accomplishment. Iii al very well
~ scout the idea that such scheme
il possible, as il was to class Of poll
ticians previous to the rebeliiOu-that
civil war was inevitable The tendeTl-
oy of our governmeDt-beth State and
NatiOnal-tor the past twenty years,
has been in one diTection-towards
the consolidation Of power in the
hands Of the executive. In fact it is
becoming a serious question with many
of our ablest and purest statesmen
whether the immense patronage WELD
ed by government, and the manner in
ggegefl GY4 ~ w ~ YFgFYf4@
ton, before legislation be4omes IN
awaiting.
Now let us examine for d moment
the merits of the proposed reform,
and see how the National Labor
Union would be benefited thereby.
Governmental control of our telegraph
system means governmental espionage
Of every message sent over the lines ;
means the reporting and ckeokmating
if possible of every movement calcu-
lated to GUST corrLpt party from
power; means the placing of caves
choppers at every commercial or poll
teal centre in the country, who can
combine profit with duey-and report
the disaffection of the faithful; means
the virtual suppression of every manly
impulse in any Official who has the
good fortune o. misfortune 70 become
the representative of the government.
means virtually the placing Of an en-
barge on every message or transaction
which in any measure conflicts with
the policy of those invested with
power.
The control and possession of the
lines of Embellishments the free
transportation for troops to any sec.
ton Of the cOuntry-if deemed necessary
for The PerpetuatiOn of party power
means the colonization Of p~rty-lack-
eys, the free transit of the horde of
public officials, who, Esau-like. are will
ing 70 sell their birthrights for mess
OF pottage, and the overriding Of the
popular will, 50 far as governmental
lntlmid alton can secure suck a result :
implies, in brief, the control IF the en-
tire transportation resources Of the
country for any and all purpde es which
party ecesslty may demandEand the
success of every candidate whose elec-
ton can be secured by such, infIpence
and means.
A glance at the manner in which The
Post Office Departments govern
mental institutions now conducted
mast convince the most skeAtical that
these views are neither visionary nor
radical. Two-thirds of fhe com
plants which publishers receive about
the nOn-receipt or the irregalarity of
the receipt Of their journals, come from
offices where the postmaster is the
editor Of the administration organ
d, NsItiOn prOstituted osteasibly TO
prevent unjustifa5le attacks on the
covers tina. be-really to advance the
circulation Of ter own journals at the
expense of those on their competitors.
Vow, the principle ana selfish interest
which prompt such action on the part
# the individual are the same which
would guide party actiOn-ihe field
# operaGOns-the means emp!oyed-l ,
md the aggregation of the interests !
Notwithstanding the only distinc- :
ion. y
1t may be urged, however: that in II
Great Britain government has as
umed the entire control Of all tele. J
graphic communications, bit it is 8
.qually true that SO far the public in v
erests have not been subserved by e