The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-08-29
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Pacific Commercial Advertiser
SATURDAY
GOVERNMENTAL COMMUNISM,

GOVERNMENTAL COMMUNISM.
The tendency of modern legislation
is towards what may be described as
official or Governmental com munism.
1t had long been a favorite doctrine
that the Government should not un-
dertake anything which could be &C
complished by private enterprise.
This doctrine prevailed for many
years, Governments delegating many
of their functions to a large extent to
individuals, or what came very nearly
to the same thing, neglecting to per
form them. So far was this idea car
ried out that national government i'll
the United Kingdom and elsewhere
simply meant contrivance for col
Iecting taxes and discussing them in
the double work of domestic repres-
sion and foreign wars.
But more enlightened ideas began
to prevail, and it came to be under
stood among other things that the
work of education properly belongs
to the Government, and not to pri-
vate individuals, church organizations
or close corporations. Accordingly
Royal Commissions inquired into
turtles under the gulse of religious
zeal and social responsibility. The
result was the resumption by the
State of the bulk of the educational
endowments in England, and the
foundation of national system of
education.
The Government also engaged in
the banking business by the estab-
Iishment of the Post Office Savings
Bank system; it has likewise entered
upon the life assurance and annuity
business in some countries, and the
great German Chancellor is pushing
his ideas of Governmental interior
ence with. private enterprise in this
direction to a very great length. In
Germany, France, Russia and other
European countries, as well as in |
Australia and New Zealand, the |
State, that is the Government, owns
and operates the railroads almost
wholly, and it is only a question of
time when the United States and
Great Britain will have to adopt
similar policy for the protection of
the public and the development of
trade and industries. The English
Government has bought all the teIe-
graph lines, and in many countries
not only does the Government own
and work the telegraph, but it like
wise controls and operates the tele-
phone system. Indeed, there is
no limit to the interfer-
ence of the State, as a political en-
tity, with private enterprise in fields
which yield the largest measure of
profit to individuals and corporations.
The Government in various coun-
sries also interferes with the conduct
If private business, regulating the
lours of labor, the age at which
children may be employed, the venti-
alton Of factories, and prescribing
What must be done to guard against
accident from dangerous machinery.
Is inspectors explore mines, test
'oiIers, and, in short, interfere in an
nfinity of ways with private enter
rise. All this may be said to be the
'rowth of the past half century. 1t
marks total revolution in the public j."
1ind regarding the functions of gov =
rnment, and is a very long stride 9
owards the perfecting of official COM f,
lunism in practical shape as the b
9ading principle of government. v
Ourlate adVices from England show W
hat the limit of growth in this direc- a
on has not. been reached by any
leans. The housing of the people d
as been left to private enterprise by al
'nmon consent for many centuries. hi
it'll the result that all sanitary laws u
ave been violated through the greed p
the owners of house property The u
tpid growth of cities by the aggrega- ie
1n of population, and the equally -
pid increase of human wretched- - -
IS aud misery, the spread of pauper- ex
"a and prevalence of disease have a. wi