The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1896-12-04
PUBLIC UTILITIES.
The Way to Prevent Their Monopoly froSp
Becoming Oppressive L. for the People to
Own Them.

The Way to Prevent Their Monopoly frog
Becoming Oppressive Ii for the People to
Own Them.
Within the memory of high school
stucentS letter postage was three cents
! on each half ouDce-or less-of mail
matter carried. Now it is two cents
on each ounce or fraction thereof. A
reduction of 80 1-3 per cent. was made
by congress at one swoop. Why? Was
it because falling prices had increa sed
! the exchange value of money, thus re,
ducing the cost of carriage and max
ing communication, one of the prime
necessities of civiliza ton. possible at a
lower rate? Certainly this was one,
and should have been the primary rea-
son, but as matter of fact we would
to-day be paying the old tax for the
privilege of INSTRUMENTATION had
the postal service of the country been
a private instead of government mo.
nopoly. Any effort to lower the fixed
charge would have caused a storm of
indignation to emanate from the
postal company" and Americans
would have been asked if they wished
to take away vested rights of individ-
uals, held by them under sacred, char
tered contracts.
If any one ooubt this let him investi-
gate and see whether telegraph lines
and express companies have lowered
their tariffs materially since 1873. al
thou III prices have shrunk and money
has appreciated more than one half.
As matter of fact, telegraph tolls are
about twice what they were-meas-
1r,fh he ohor %
in 1877. In the meantime had not
the prices been fixed by law, and had
there been healthy competition instead
of monopoly, the value of a telegraphic
message would have fallen as the value
of wheat has fallen. There has, no
doubt, been an increase in the letter
carrying business, and false econom-
lists say that this increase has enabled
the government to fix lower rate of
postage. Has there not also been an
increase in the message-transmittin
business. and should not this increase
enable the Western Union to make
terms less burdensome to its custom
ers? The truth is the people are to-day
paying dividends on large blocks of
watered stocks issued by this gigantic
monopoly to enrich few men at the
expense of society. Monopoly, gov
erned by private individuals, has been
the direct beneficiary of falling prices
and the increased exchange value of
money. So too, have corporations,
not monopolies, whose maximum
charge is fixed by law. 800.
Yerkes, a street car magnate of Chi
cago, declared before the election that
as the state forbade him to increase
fares, he could not, should silver be re-
stored and gold be brought back to it's
normal function and use, pay the same
wages as he does now. This was
club with which he beat his employees
to the support of Mckinley. He knew
then and he knows now that as mat
ter of fact every patron is to-day pay
ing practically double fare, for a nick
ell in 1898 is of twice the value it was
20 years or more ago, when street car
fares were fixed. So generally is this
fact recognized that some municipali-
ties are now lowering the maximum
rate to three cents, and more would do
it if they were not owned body and
soul by the mpanies. II
If the time comes when the people
conclude to take the carrying business
lodge it in the government, insatiate
greed will have only itself to blame,
for. speaking generally, the people be-
Heve in individual effort and do not
take kindly to government. ownership,
when individual enterprise will fill the
bill Chicago Dispatch.