The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-29
DIR. Dc Costa's Grand Scheme.

The Rev. DR.. DE COSTA writes to us to-day
e1plaining why he wants new charter for
ths city. 1t Ia because he thinks that we
are not governed enough. He would have
the municipal Government gradually absorb
the whole business OF the community, ana
become a gigantic money-making corpora
ton, employing the people as its servants,
instead OF being their servant az 1t Is now.
The reverend gentleman's scheme In de-
tail is for the city Government to take pos
session OF the manufacture Of gas and cleo
tricity, to run tho steam-heatng apparatus,
the telegraph lines, ana the surface and ele-
vahaa railroads, to provide for "all public
necessities" and to manage markets ana
prices with reference to profit That u.s.
he would have the Government do every
thing. lTo would make 1t the sole business
concern In the town.
II it is to control oil public necessities IL
must DO the banker, the baker, the shoe
maker, the blacksmith, the tailor, the
butcher, the grocer, tho doctor, II not the
parson Of the town. 1t must be the SOLE
seller with the people for buyers Mt such
prices az Il fixes. 1t must keep the
only shop and monopOlzo the whole
market. Tho only employment obtainable
by tho citizen will be employment under
the all-devouring Government, and ut
the wages it is willing to pay. Logic
ally, aud as tho final outcome. 1t must
take all tho money in town into its COZ
iers, seize tho titles to oil landed property,
rent and build houses, assume charge Oh
the churches, regulate the dress ana the
habits of tho inhabitants, dole out to them
their daily rations. and in every respect
treat them MS II they were under connne-
mont In penal colony, lunatic asylum,
an almshouse, or an institution for the care
of men and women too weak-mindcd to take
caro- OF themselves.
That is the town OF New York, the capital
OF tho New World, as DR.. DE COSTA would
have It, He would make the Government
everything, the individual nothing, except
It's scrf and slave. Why does he not go FUR
Their and more thoroughly destroy oil indl-
yiduality, all ambition and initiative in his
down-troddcn community, by wiplng out
the individual names OF the human herd and
substituting numbers, after the fashion OF
the prisons from which he derives his
model? or what use will such names be to
them when there is no opportunity for lndl-
yidual distinction? They will be no more
than cattle seeking food agreeable TO them
and sufficient for existence.
Or. DE COSTA, apparently, does not pro-
pose to take the vote away from them. lie
would leave them that acknowledgment or
human intelligence; but what would the
vote b. worth to the wretched herd? Tho
Government would have absolute power
over them, and by shutting OFF supplies
could starvc them into submission. 1t
would control the elections, of course, for it
would control everything; and, as 1t had all
tn money and all the power, resistance to
It would be hopeless. And the Government,
what would it bH? What is it sure to be-
come under such circumstances 1t would
be one man, II Boss OF iriShtful authority,
beside whom IN Asiatic dcspot is ruler OF
limited rover. There would DO slave
driver and his slaves, and nobody else.
We are Obliged therefore to decline DR..
DE COSTAs courteous request to join him in
pushing forward such II scheme. We are
tailoring for the progress of human society,
not to send II back into barbarism. But II he
wishes to get the public opinion as to his
enterprise, the new Ballot law offers him
the came opportunity which it offers to all
cranks. Let him get 800 voters to join with
him in his nomination and he can run
for Mayor at the next election and have his
tickets printed at the expense Of the State.