New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-01-11
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NEW ULM, MINI.
CHAS. L. ROOS, Managing Editor
Wednesday, January IL. 1883.

The Sleepy Eye Herald says thai
there are many well-meaning persons
who endorse the proposition to have the
government not only establish postal
telegraph, but also to take charge Of
all telegraph lines. The argument
mainly advanced in favor of this step is
that it is the only practical method OF
destroying the telegraph monopoly
The Herald then proceeds to show that
this argument applies with equal force
to many other industries which require
considerable amount of capital. The
Heraid's conclusion is undoubtedly cor
rect and the argument as cited, if con-
slstently applied, would lead to the
adoption of communistic views. There
are, however, very many well-meaning
persons who are as strongly opposed to
all communistic theories as the Herald
49, but who, nevertheless, favor govern
meat ownership of railroads. telegraphs
and other means of transportation and
communication. Such persons uiecrim-
mate Interchangeable thatsare Great
ed oY our laws or the silence of our
laws, and those which are in their very
nature monopolies and necessarily
affect all other parts of our industrial
system. The various monopolies Great
cd by high tariffs belong to the former
class. In such cases it is plainly with.
IN the power of the lawmaker to crush
monopoly by opening the country to
foreign competition; and if he neglects
to do this on the ground that "the gov
eminent must step in and assume the
management, his policy is certainly'a
confession that he is unequal to the
- 3efore him. But as to the means
Domestic transportation and COM
munication, foreign competition is out
Of the question. The farmer depends
tor the shipment of his productions
pom the railway next to his door; and
Il restrictions which it is in the power
of the lawmaker to impose, can at best
be only inadequate attempts to distrib-
ute the burden more equally among
the farmers of different sections. So
tar as our foreign commerce is con-
cerned, ours is pre-eminently an agri-
cultural country. TO enable our farm
rs to compete with the cheap labor of
er agricultural countries and still
tain fair price for their productions,
ey should, if possible, be furnished
With the means of transportation to the
Sea-ports at but little above it's actual
cost. No railway corporation can ever
this; DO railway corporation can be
compelled to do it without the ultimate
establishment of government owner
ship. The building of railway lines in
wolves risks too great to be incurred by
capitalists without the prospect of prof
its far greater than could be realized
by Investment in other enterorises.
Ihepe are two ways in which the prob
lem can be and, in certain countries,
mas been successfully solved. The GOV
eminent may establish a railway sys-
tenn OF its own for the sake of main
tanning q wholesome competition with.
out driving existing corporations from
the field; or it may at once establish a
government monopoly for the sole pur-
of furnishing transportation at but
lie above cost. The first method will
iNthe course of time lead to the second.
We(are not in favor of that paternal
orm of government which would ulti-
1ately destroy all individual enterprise
ut we are equally opposed to the the
ries of those who hold that it is not
thin the province of government to
ercise any paternal functions what.
er and who would on this ground
POLISH the public school system and
any other institutions Fat have long
% been recognized assassential to the
ty OF the nation. We do be.
there is nothing undemocrat-
extension of the paternal ele-
those institutions which as pri-
7rprises must, in spite of all
e restrictions, ever prove in
for the demands made upon
Tho interest Of the prosperity of
try as q Whole,
Il time ago Gov. McGill received
:er from A. ?. Miller, of the New
nrlr Mail and Exnraos aekinn for a