The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-01-31
n J; II J
THE GOVERNMENT PATERNAL-i
lsTIc TO SOLDIERS .anh
Sivsng to Trusts. Banks. syndicates, and
Corporations the Rankast Kind of
f~aternalism and Dangers to the Peo-
ple's liberties. f. .stEs53fs
The Helena, Montana, News.

u fEHEEL ~ N$t.P%4$f ~ 4. fftt iE5.LAfRs .l
cleveland in his message says he Is
opposed to p~aternalism. He seems to
think that the principals Of paternalism
should not be introduced into govern
ment. 1t is true that he does not define.
paternalism, and we are somewhat at
a loss to know what he means, but it is
evident that he thinks the government
should do nothing for the people that
they can do for themselves. Our idea
of government is quite different. Gov
eminent is for the benefit of the, peo--
pie, and when government. can do any
thing for the people better than the
people can do for themselves, the peo-
pie ought to have the government do it.
Fol- instance, the government carries the
mail for the people; it does it far bet
ter than private individuals or corpora
lions could possibly do. The same can
be said of the public schools; the state
is educating the youth better than their
parents could, that is, more people are
learning to read and CIPHER than would
be possible under any other system.
Now, If the government can carry our
mails so successfully, why cannot it
carry our freights? Is there any diff
ference in principle between carrying
a letter and carrying a heavier pack
age? If the government can conduct
our postofices so satisfactory, why can
not it conduct u telegraph Offices as
satisfactory to the people? And why
not our telephone lines? We pay mill
lions every year for freight, for tele-
grams and for telephone service more
than it ought to cost u.s.. At the same
time we are building up colossal for
tunes which are used to control politi-
cal parties and corruptsthe people, that
the fellows may continue their plumber
ing methods. Is it not time. the people
were taking thought to stop these meth
DDS that have enabled the p%lutocrats to
plumber them? Of course the plutocrats
Will oppose any such move. 1t is to
their interest to oppose everything of
that sort. Whoever heard of any one
who enjoyed an income without work
ing for it, who was willing to give it
up? Hundreds of years ago, the gov
eminent of England gave pensions to
persons for their votes or influence or
some good they were supposed to have
done the state, and made the pensions
perpetual, descending to their heirs to
the latest generation. Did these heirs,
who lived snugly off pensions paid by
their fellow-citizens, for which they
rendered no service whatever, and for
which no service has been rendered for
hundreds of years, willingly give up
their pensions? Not at all. In many
instances the government bought their
pensions for a lump sum, but never
has n Of them been patriotic enough,
OF manifested self-respect enough to
say, Il have not earned this money; it
is not mine; I bestow it on the state.'
Privilege and favoritism never let go
what they get possession of, no matter
how unjustly they hold it, or how I'M
fair to others may be their possession.
The government, so far as the army
is concerned, is a rankly paternal one.
It clothes, feeds, pensions and buries it's
soldiers. 1t provides supplies for it's
officers, which they may purchase at
an advance of 10 per cent over the
cost price, not including freight. 1t
PAOVAuOo OuLShC1 SAOpo WASlS ILcy CdA
purchase meats, ETC., on the same terms.
The president Of the United States, by
virtue of being commander-in-chief Of
the army, is entitled to the privilege
of purchasing army stores, provisions,
groceries, butcher meats, etc., and every
president uses that privilege. Nearly
everything that is furnished the White
House comes from the quartermaster
or commissary department. of the army.
Yet we find the same president, who
uses the supplies the army furnishes in
hie own house a nrivi1ooo don;nd ~