Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-10-24
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.
A POPULAR OBJECTION VERY
CLEARLY ANSWERED.
Would Have q Tendency to Take Pol
lticS Out Of tho Public CiVn Service
Rather Than to Increase Partisan
Power Of the OmcehOlders.


The movement for public control and
ownership Of natural monopolies seems
to be gathering force everywhere.
Whether representatives Of radical or
conservative thought be in power they
seem to be forced, almost as Of neces-
sity, into further and further extern
sion Of the power of government over
matters heretofore left largely to the
management Of individuals. This tend
ency receives a fresh illustration in
proposals just made by the new Con-
servatiVe government in England,
through its colonial secretary, Mr..
Joseph Chamberlain.
J With the advent of the Conservative
party to power in England one might
naturally look for a sharp reaction
from the alleged socialiStlc tendencies
of the long Liberal reign. We might
expect immediate cessation Of efforts
to apply the principles of the factory
acts, a quiet slumbering of the eight
hour movement, and, above all, no fur
Their demands for the application OF
the principles Of public ownership to
the transportation, lighting, and kin
dred monopolies. But 10! here comes
Chamberlain, colonial secretary OF an
alleged reactlonary government, in
speech which Is described as the zone
speech Of the week, that will be remem-
bered," asking the imperial govern
ment Of England to go into the bust
ness Of railroad building in tropical
Africa, for the development Of English
colonial interests located there. "If
railways are needed in tropical Africa
they should be built under colonial or
imperial administration rather than be
handed over to private spectators"
the secretary is reported as saying. He
further declared that many Of the Brit
ish colonies are in the condition Of I'M
developed estates, which could be de-
veloped only "by a judicious invest
ment Of imperial money"
This demand of the Conservative En-
glish secretary contains the very meat
and kernel of the demand for public
ownership of natural monopolies in
this country. An extension Of the pow
err Of the whole people through gov
eminent, when necessary to bring
about results demanded by the public
good. Under such a demand may be in
cluded the movement in the United
States for government railroads, post
al telegraph, and municipal ownership
Of gas, water and electric-light works
and street railroads.
On another page Mr.. Edward Rose
water, Of the Omaha Bee, who has
made careful study of the results Of
public ownership Of natural monopolies
in England and other European coun-
tries, answers what seems to us to be
one Of the main popular objections to
the rapidly growing movement for pub
lie ownership Of national monopolies
the possible danger Of increasing
power Of the ofice-holding class. Mr..
Rosewater is arguing for postal tele-
graph, and says:
zone great objection against the pos
tai telegraph in this country is that it
would bring into operation more politi-
cal Offices. l regard this as one Of the
most important and beneficial features
Of the whole affair. 1t would be an en-
tering wedge for the greatest possible
success Of the civil service. 1t would
bring into the postal service from 25,-
900 to 10000 skilled operatives whose
services could not be dispensed with.
These would naturally be divided into
various politics, as every other class
Of citizens, whose trustworthiness and
value would be increased by the knowl-
edge that they could not be displaced
by any political partisan. This has
been the experience in Great Britain
and 1t would be the same here. Once
get the postal service under govern
ment control and the civil service act,
and you would soon be able to place all
departments Of the government under
the same system, and large share of
the public nuisance incident to Office
holding would be done away With, leav-
ing the officers free to inquire into and
learn their duties to their Office and to
the public"
We are inclined to agree with Mr..
Rosewater that this increase Of So
called office-holders resulting from in
creased public ownership Of natural
monopolies would, as he intimates,
tend to take politics out Of the public
civil service, rather than to increase
the partisan power of the offlce-holdlng
class. AS the railroads, telegraph,
lighting, and other monopolies came
under public control the people would
see more and more clearly
the necessity of having skilled men In
charge instead Of mere partlsanA Eha1