, 1891-07-28

In CONSIDERABLE losses from Dad ueDtS. sc the
dealers had 10 rniss their margins OF profit
upon all their customers to "A point which would
still leave them a living. This was virtually
making the cash paying customer support the
customer who did not pay AT all, and when this
abuse became extended the persons with fixed
incomes VINO paid their debts naturally OBJ
jected, and the result was the formation OF So
cietics for cooperative distribution on an eco
nomical cash basis.
The same state OF things did not exist In the
United States. Retail merchants generally
sold on closer margins OF profit. Many OF them
did business for cash. and hence the Same con-
ditians and necessities did not exist here that
gaycrise to the cooperative stores in England.
Many attempts have been made, but only a
few Of them have succeeded. and those only to
a moderate extent. In such cases success was
probably due TO exceptionally good manage
menL and perhaps, to some extent, to other
local conditions fayoring cooperative distri-
button.
In July Arena is the first part of an
answer to the query, Should the Ma
ton Own the Railways" Mr.. c. Wood
Davis has undertaken the support of an
affirmative reply to this question which
many thousands of good citizens are ask
ing, and if he does as well in August
Arena as ne has in the current issue
those who oppose his view will nave a
difficult task to perform in overthrow
ing his arguments. Mr.. Davis is a deep
student int close thinker on economic
questions, and has lately contributed
much that is valuable on the present
condition of the farming interest and the
possibilities of the farmers future. lido
not mean that | agree with him on that
subject; but let that pass for the pres
ent. He confesses that the events of the
past year and his investigation during
hat time have caused a complete EeFoa
luton in his opinions on the railroad
question, and so we may hope that in
time he will be perfectly straight on the
other. Here is the opening paragraph
of Mr.. Woods article:
When the paper published in the February
Arena, entitled The Farmer, the Investor
and the Railway" was written, the writer was
not ready to accept national ownership as a
solution OF tho railway problem, but the occur
rences attending the furries Of last autumn in
tho money markets, when half II dozen men, in
order to obtain control Of certain railways, en-
tered into a conspiracy that came near wreck
ing the entire industrial and commercial in
terests OF the country, having shed n lurid light
upon the enormous and baleful power which
the corporate control of the railways places in
the hands of what Theodore Roosevelt Rptly
termed 1.-The dangerous wealthy CLASSES"
has had the effect OF converting TO
tho advocacy OF national ownership not
only the writer but vast numbers of con
| y Nv HNbliio VI nv N'AlAl bls fNAiA II hliAA
southern states, to whom the question now rs
sumes this form: (which Is to be preferred. a
master in the shape of a political party that II
is possible TO dislodge by use OF the ballot, or
one in the shape OF ten OF twenty Goulds, Van
derbilts, Huntlngtons, ROCkefellers, Sngcs,
billions and Brices who never die and whom
it will bo impossible to dislodge by the use Of
the BALLOT" The particular Gould or Wander
bilt may die. as did that Vanderbilt to whom
was ascribed the nphorism, THE public be
damned" but the spirit and power Of the
Goulds and Vanderbilts never dies.
Notwithstanding the poohpoohing of
the capitalistic press there is a sentiment
on this question of governmental owner
ship, or control at least. of railroads
which must DO met and dealt with hon
estly and intelligently by the political
party that may reasonably hope to be
supported hereafter by the American
voters. a. B. Stickney, president of the
Chicago, st. Paul and Kansas City Rail
way company, has declared for national
control to the extent of positively fixing
freight and passenger rates. His book,
Just out, with the title THE Railroad
Problem" will convince any reader
that to longer allow the railways
to be miscontrolled as they are
now is exceedingly dangerous to the
ItpuDlC- III says lut great NEOuS
the railroad companies nave put upon
the people has not been high rates, bu
unequal rates; hat discrimination has
been the bludgeon with which they have
destroyed honest, industrious men and
healthy and hopeful communities. He
also says that these determinations, the
result OF unrestricted and sometimes in
sane competition, have harmed the roads
and the stockholders as much as they
have the shippers and consumers, and
he produces statistics to prove his asser-
ton. The advocates of national owner
ship of railways will find unlimited ann
munition suitable for their batteries in
Mr.. S%tickney's book, though it was not
prepared for such a use.
THE Tyranny of All the People" ia the
caption to an interesting article by Rev.
Francis Bellamy which will be found in
The Arena for July. Mr.. Bellamy is an
advocate of socialism, like his namesake
of Looking Backward" fame, and he
makes a pretty fair argument. He says
something very sensible about the habit
the opponents of new ideas have of max
ing a bugbear out of some word which
is hung up in all sorts of shapes to
brighten the timid. His language on
this point is worthy of reproduction:
There is a period in every agitation OF a new
idea when the most prosperous weapon against
1t is a humping epithet. The name must be
apt enough to stick. Furthermore, no matter
now misleadinR, II must be suggestive of sin
lister things. Recommendation" is such a
word. In its etymology 1t is harmless enough.
Governmental Is the adjective OF government,
and means exercising the powers Of govern
ment" Recommendation, therefore,, means
the exercise OF the powers OF government con-
sidered as a principle.
But the word when made the bogy OF social
Ism Is supposed to mean the principle OF the
exercise of the powers OF government raised to
the nth" degree and separated from the peo-
pie. 1t suggests n shadowy somewhat of Of
heialdom; a Corliss engine OF functionnryism:
all OF which Is thought of AS apart from the
people, yet pressing upon the people. In other
words, the name "goYernmentalism," while in
tended as a word Of opprobrium for socialism,
really Indicates the amazing misconccption
which the critics have of the nation itself and
Of the relation of the nations life to Its self
direction.
Mr.. Bethany %denounces the present
system roundly as all that is unchris-
tian. He does not think it possible to
bring mankind up to n high plane under
the system. Here are his exact words:
To talk about the principles of brotherhood
fully prevailing in our present conditions is to
treat the laws OF Christ with nippancy. Nine,
tenths OF the maxims of our modern business
r system contradict the law Of love. In our pres.
emit environment 1t Is impossible for business
people or working people to obey the Sermon
a on the Mount and not starve. Perhaps n few
l aRRtnaaa 81 D. a. Hf,l. -. -