Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-02-08

would all come within the functions oi
the state. But under the regime OF
landlordism such converse would
clearly lead through socialism to an-
archy.
| We are, at least those of US who
have never read anything like Lysan-
der Spooner's pamphlet On our postal
system, in the habit of pointing to our
post Office as an example of the bene-
fits to be derived from government
ownership and operation; but how few,
of the many who deplore the corrup-
tion so common in our political life,
ever think how much the filling, by
| appointment, of so many postmaster
ship, by successful presidential can
didate, has contributed to make our
national elections more partisan
scramble for place and pay. That
facetious writer, Petroleum V. Nasby,
used to give us seme very broad hints
in this direction. But suppose, in ad-
dition to the post-office department We
had Transportation department, be-
side enlargeing the post-office into an
Intelligence department by giving it
control of telegraphs, and telephones,
what would an election mean then?
No civil service miles could be invent
ed, much less adopted. to bar the VIC
tor from the spoils. For a Democratic
administration to follow Republican
administration would mean that every
Republican superintendent, every
agent, roadmaster. conductor, en-
gineer, fireman, brakeman, even every
newsboy and messenger boy would
have to huut another job, and that too
in some other advocation. We may
say of government now, government as
practiced in every civilized nation, that
it is top-heavy. To this cause we may
attribute the increasing number of
criminals and avowed anarchists.
| Acu WuO CduuOb OuG oCO VIC WlOHS
involved in government as we practice
it come to an ill-considered conclusion,
because it cannot be denied that all
governments have miscarried in prac-
tice. 1t is the height of folly for us,
then to increase the functions of a
State where the tendency is to the con-
centration of wealth in the hands of
the few, rather than to secure an equit-
able division among the producers. 1t
is to increase the weight of a super
structure whose foun lations are weak.
Socialism in any thing like the radical
form to which we are drifting leads to
anarchy, and beyond that to barbar-
ism. AS yet the large majority de-
precate socialists, and socialism; but
every time we propose to patch out de-
fective state we cut the patch out of
socialistic cloth.
If by the adoption of the George
idea," OR some other plan, equally just
and effective in the readjustmento of the
common burdens, we could open nat
ural opportunities so that we Should
always have 'two jobs looking one
man rather than two men looking for
one job" it is, clear that we could safe
ly and advantageously enlarge the
functions of the state so as to have the
state not only own and operate all the
public conveniences, but operate them
on the highway rather than on the
toll-road principle; but it is not clear
that it would be best to do SO. From
the point of vantage we should then
occupy, there would be choice OF
policies. With natural rights secured
to all. and governmental practice con-
sistent with the theory upon which we
pretend to base it, human life would
cease to be a scramble and we might
find that even corporations were not
so wholly soulless after all. Instead
of charging the sphere and functions
of the state we might confine the state
to fewer and simpler duties.
There would be ample time however
to consider the best way of crossing the
river after we come to it. The duty of
the moment is to go in the right direc-
ton, and We are, certainly, not going
in the right direction when drifting, as
we now are into socialism.
VIM. CAMM.
Murrayville, Ills., Jan. 26, 1894.
An Explicit Announcement.