The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1894-06-22

|uisViiouIot vi all SoOu UlllukS.
L. L. Godkin, editor Of the New
York Evening Post. contributes an
article for the June Forum, which de-
serves to be widely read and consid-
cred. He points out that IL govern
mcnt, as the drcamcrs desire, is to
step In aud buy up all the railroads,
telegraph lines, mines, water and gas
works, and to provide work for every
body at wages that will be satisfac.
tory all round, there will be some
tremendous bills to pay. State social.
ism cannot possibly be an exception
to the memorable rule that there can
be no dancing without somebody to
pay the fiddler. Who will pay the
bills OF socialism? is Mr.. Godkin's cold
but very rational inquiry.
Stripped Of all the pretty fancies
that surround 1t. the new socialistic
gospel is that the mass OF the people
ought to have much more money dis.
tributcd among them, SO that ''cvery.
body is to live a great deal better than
he has been in the habit Of living, and
to have far more fun" 1t is a pleas.
ant program, but how shall it be car.
ricd out?. The census of 1880 shows
the total wealth OF the United States
to be &65, OBJ ,O9l ,l97. The population
OF the country at this date was 81, 6222,
2O. Evenly divided this gives sl,O3s
per head, Or Il little over 5000 pei
family on the generally accepted ba.
sis OF five persons toa family.
1t is clear that IL every family were
to be paid its IS. 900 Of the total wealth,
and proceed to spend it at once
to increase its comforts and enjoy.
mcnts, both it and the country us a
whole, would be worse of than ever,
And IL 1t invested the 5000 at a fair
rate Of interest, say per cent, its in.
come would only be increased by $500
a year. How far would that 20
In greatly changing the condition of
the general body of the people can DC
readily seen. The total annual In.
come Of the United States is not un.
derestimated. Mr.. Godkin says, sat
f3ll.a per family Of five persons, and
that is less than dollar a day.
1t would appear, then, that making
the State sole owner and employer
will not enable it to divide up among
the people any more income than nc.
tually exists to be divided. There is
then Il limit to the power of the State,
and yet the Utopian philosophers
never stop to reckon with that undc.
niablc fact. "Thc notion" says Mr..
Godkin: "that there is u reservoir of
wealth somewhere, either in the pos.
session Of the government or the rich,
which might be made to diffusc 'plcn.
ty through Il smiling land is delu.
sion." and travelling along with it in
the arid desert ofsocialistic dreaming
Is another delusion that there IL
somewhere Il reservoir of wisdom still
untapped which can DC drawn on for
the execution of a new law of distribu.
tion."
Hence arises the curious belief SO
widely entertained in socialistic cir.
cles that ii the state, which means
the politicians at the head of the
governments, federal, state and
municipal, had more money to spend,
more Of the business Of the nation to
to transact. more places to bestow,
and more big jobs to engineer, "they
would become purcr, and nobler, and
more public spirited" But there is
no human experience that justifics
such belief.
The socialistic theory can only he
worked out when the state, which
means always the body Of officials
which wiclds It's authority, goes the
length of compelling every citizen to
use his capital or his labor, whichever
nc happens to have, or both, on terms
and conditions which it lays down FOR
him. These terms and conditions,
whether he likes them or not, the
state would necessarily have to force
him to accept. and by violent means
If he were disposed to run his own
business" And that, manifcstly,
would DC the death OF liberty and the
birth of Il despOtism more intolerablc
than any that civilized mankind have
ever yet endured.
The sober sense Of the American
people will never be more than tenn.
porarily tempted to take the road to
which sOcialistic ioctrinaires arc
bcckoning them. They will be far
more likely to insist on retracing the
dangerous steps already taken in
that direction. Less governmental
intrusion In private business; less di.
version of public money to purposes
that are not public; less concentra.
tiOn Of trade and Industrial interests
by special legislation; less business in
politics and less politics in business
these are the demands Of the hour.
We must get back to the broad, safe
highway Of Jcffcrsonian democracy
"thc government is best that governs
least" The spectacle now offered to
the nation by the senate shows Us
what we should have to expect IL, in.
stead Of being. at present, the indi'
rect and unacknowlcdged partner OF
the great manufacturing industries
congress were the direct and absolute
controlling power of all railroads
mines and factories and of all Other
vital elements of production. Such d
gigantic folly could have no Other
ending than revolution, anarchy
chaOs.-MinneaDOlis Times.
Geo. Il. Clifford and VIM. Bulge
Of Grand Forks, will each try for the
nomination Of state treasurer. Both
of these gentlemen arc we'll known
in this county, the former as manager
I<.F Tho Goo,,ufx,, TN.,,,k