Workmen's advocate., 1888-12-15
AUCTION THEM OFF!
THE PRINCIPLE OF PRIVATE
 ENTERPRISE GALORE.
Capitalistic Abolishment of Govern. ment - Hopeful Anarchists. Contracts and Auctions will Do the WOrk-A
 Speculation.

American ship builde-s are ready and willing to compete for government con tracts, now that a safe administration is assured for the next four years. And Congress ought to make an appropria, tion large enough to insure the estab- ishment of a navy which shall rank with that of France.-N r. Press.
 Before election "the great ques- tion of the day to the Press was "protectlon to American labor" In the above paragraph we have fair sample of its ideas of protection. But this is not all; we have the tacit admission that the present political parties of this nation are utterly in- capable of carrying on the govern ment of the country on business basis, or that they are bound body and soul to the service of monopo- lized wealth.
 Let the Press be logical, and re- commend that hereafter the legisla- tive and judiciary functions of this republic be given out by contract to the highest bidder; perhaps it would come a great deal cheaper. And then, the next war we have, put that up too for our loyal contractors to bid for.
 Here we have a question that comes directly home to the working people of this country, and yet we hear of no attempt to change the policy of the Government by pro- test or otherwise, except by a very few individuals. But let us exam inc closer into this particular ques- tion of building a navy by contract. In the first place it is quite clearly settled that there will be many mil lions of dollars appropriated for that purpose In the next few years. At the present time the eIght hour sys- tenn of labor is firmly established in all the United States navy yards, and the average of pay for skilled and unskllled labor in those yards is from twenty-five to thirty-tive per cent. higher for the eight hours than outside parties pay for the same work for ten hours.
 Now, 1t was fact proved by ex- perlence upon the construction of the new large steel guns that the Government could afford to pay more wages for the same work, do 1t better, and in the end cheaper than the contractors had done. And 1t Is safe to say that even with the present unnecessary abuses so con- mon in navy yards, that this work could be done as cheap as by con- tract, and much better work when finished; for instead of the millions that would go to the contractor, as under the present system, this money would go in increased wages and to many more men, on account of the eight hour system.
 Again, when 1t is once established that the government can construct its own navy of war vessels better and cheaper than by contract, and with more advantage to the people, It will also establish the fact hat it can construct a merchant marine with equal facility and man it also, and thus solve the problem of our shipping being driven from the seas. And by thus building up vast sys- tenn of naval construction it will pre- vent these same private contracting cormorants from taking advantage of the Government in case of war, and compelling it to pay whatsoever they may settle upon as prices, and with great many more facilities for doing so than they had during our late unpleasantness.
 The contract system must go,
 SELL TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.
 "Let the city sell the privilege of opening Elm street to the highest bid der. The bidding, however, must be made publicly to the city, and not pri- vately to official strikers for poodle.