The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-03-13
LIVE AND LEARN
A FEW VALUABLE LESSONS
FROM ABROAD.

EHS1N 49,
The People Of the United States Must Con-
troll Their Own Railways, Trlegraphs,
Banks, Marine, Etc.-Fisures to Uphold
This Theory.
Now it has, in all ages, been consid-
cred an excellent thing to be guided, In
q measure, by the previous experience of
men, by their failures and successes,
taking note of the causes which effected
the result. l venture. then, to present
some statistics from q reliable authority,
stThe Statesman's Year Book"
In Belgium, out of q total revenue of
800, 555, 4O6 francs, the land taxes yield
rs, 579, 900 francs; mines, 343,5OO francs;
customs, 25,531,6 600 francs; railways,
100, 700, 900 francs; telegraphs, $3.50, oo0
francs. The land is divided among
1,161,s 74 freehold proprietors, who pos
sess 2,615, 931 hectares out Of a total of
2,945, SIC hectares. The state rail-
ways are put down at 5,11O Kill
ometres, and company Tor monop-
oly) railways at 1856 kilometres.
Up to the end of 1883 the state had spent
sss, 4O4, SOL francs on the first cost of its
railways, besides purchasing lines by
means of annuities, the capital value of
which was 219, 79S, 631 francs. This little
country is very generally regarded as a
model of industrial progress. But I do
not mean to imply that Belgium has not
her pressing labor problem. WhAre is
the nation that has not?
In Bavaria, out of a total revenue of
24l, 5s4,7sl marks, the state railways,
post telegraphs. mines and state domains
yield 141, 22s, 814 marks, or more than
one-half the venue Wurtemberg
shows q total revenue of 81, 1884, 47
marks, of which state property yields
21,916, 1874 marks. Austria shows total
miles of railway 1861, Of which
4,452 miles are state roads, and
lines worked by the state 1900 miles.
Denmark shows a considerable revenue
from state railways and tclegraphs. In
France the land tax yields ITS, 765, 600
francs; doors and windows tax, 46,667,400
francs; customs, 394, GAL, 800 francs; post
and telegraph, 165,575,2 200 francs. There
are many lines of railroad laid down by
the state for utility rather than profit.
The receipts for assisted lines are 1885,
600. 900 francs, and from state lines a.
GIG, 613 francs. In Prussia the receipts
from state railways form the chief source
of revenue. In recent years the income
from railways and other state undertake
ings, such as mines, has been largely
Increasing, showing q tendency
to become a far moro fruitful source
of revenue than all taxation, di-
rect or indirect. The total revenue is
1858. 92s, 1886 marks, of which the minis
try of public works, produce of mines.
iron furnaces, state railways, etc, are
quoted at TsG, S6G, 11S mai ks. In En-
gland we tine that there We're, in 1884,
1855 postoffice savings banks, with
2,333,675 ian increase of 1884, 33 in 1881
accounts, with deposits to the amount Of
Gl4, SIC, All. and to credit OF all open
accounts e44, 773. 773; and we must re-
member that, in the interest Of monopoly
banks, each person is allowed to deposit
only a small amount, for fear all the de-
posts might be withdrawn from the pri-
vate banks and placed in the govern
ment bank. The tclcgraphs were trans
ferred to the government of England on
Feb. S, 1870. In January, 1856, there
were 90, 500 miles Of line and 15s, SOS
miles of wire.
Gross revenue. ......G ,27b.G62 H1,7j5, lis
Working expenses 1,O31.52 1870, $50
Net r~evenue..... 245,13S 24,13S
LII huSSlu Iuo Icfciluc from mint,
mines, post telegraphs and state domains
Is quoted at 2S,2lG. 454 roUblcs. The
state railways show:
Roublcs.
Gross receipts. ,iG2.Sa1
Net receipts. 0,39l .0G0
Even in the benightcd country Of the
car seven-eighths of the telegraph lines
are owned by the state.
We now see that there is no very start
ling novelty in our demands. We also
see that, prOvidcntially or evolutionary,
as you please, the ambition and murder
Gus tyranny Of European royal scoun-
drels are carrying out a program which
would be called ugly names if advo-
Gated by the people. In Europe the
people are unfortunately deprived of the
benefits which these measures ought to
produce, If it were not for the devilish
system Of ornaments, kept up so that
the poor working people may slaughter
each other to glut the unsuitable am
bition of royal h%ellhounds in the age oil
reason.
From the experience Of the workings
OF the postal system in Europe and
{ America since the reduced rates, and
2 alSO OF the telegraph ana railroad SNS-
, TENS In Europe, it seems reasonable tc
suppose that the government of the
: United States might safely reduce the
! railroad fares by more than the entire
present estimated profit, $500, 900, 600,
and still produce enough revenue for the
. government. The government could
give bonds for part Of the purchase and
81, 900, O00, 900 of legal tender, which
] would be always sustained in public es,
G timation by large revenues.
But we must not fOolishly expect any
one measure to cure all ills. We should
also have a government bank, a real
= bank, a bank of deposit as well as d
: bank of issue, and a bank to make loans
. on approved security at bedrock ratio of
interest, and to facilitate transfers.
Then we want a government CONNIE cha
, marine, which would stir up so many
, trades and industries; and demand also
a graduated land tax, which would i'm
:. pose a penalty IN the outrageous luxury
of holding more land than is sutlicien'
: for one family.-JOurnaI Of the Knight!
Z of Labor.