The herald., 1896-11-17

lioH oStWeSH eilPiOyefS VI tHS AiAieS
stripe and labor was fast becoming as
one between master and slave, and labor
was forced to organize, so that whole
fraternity might resist encroachment
upon its liberties as one man. The con-
sequence was that concerns Of the Times
stripe Immediately declared war upon
own, and "vag," anarchist" "commun-
ist" and the like are the words used to
designate men who have the temerity
to assert their manhood, and the "chain
gang" as the most fitting place for them.
The fact remains, however, that the
reason economists do not say ''pauper
labor" when discussing te industrial
class of this country, as they do when
referring to the wage earners of Europe,
is because labor unions have held up the
schedules of wages In this country by
the moral force of their concentrated
strength.
There will be no Homesteads and
iihSi eOho III COulltIH 81
long as labor "vags" maintain their or
ganizations and demand that they be
heard in matters which concern them as
working people as well as citizens The
only "chain gang" they need to fear is
the one that would be instituted by
patriots" like the Times If labor were to
dissolve its organization.
AS to the Times attack upon Mr..
Snyder. of course Mr.. Snyder will pay no
attention to it. nor will anybody else who
does not want to be put to the trouble Of
burying his clothes to extract the odor
which comes of contact with that par
ticular species of the animal kingdom.
Mr.. Snyder has long been identified with
the business interests of Los Angeles,
and no man stands higher than he in the
community for business integrity. More
over. Mr.. Snyder has always found time
to join with his fellow citizens in pro-
noting the public veal. But Mr. Sny-
der needs no defense before this COM
munity nor is there any occasion for
apologies. He is the candidate of the
people for mayor, and his platform rests
upon sound business principles. If he
is elected, which he will be, the admin
istration of the affairs of the municipal
ity will be in harmony with approved
business methods-just as one would
Such an administration would encour-
age capital to come in for permanent in
vestment, and capital already here
would be stimulated to widen the field
of its employment and such an admins
tration Los Angeles needs very much.
AS to the municipal ownership of the
water supply system, the Times is fully
justified in saying that "95 per cent of
the respectable citizens favor such
ownership, but it so happens. or rather
it is not happen" but the natural
thing that the Times is in the per cent
group-the group that wants to con-
tinue the present octopus or ''associ-
ated villainies," as the Times puts it.
From a casual reading of the Times one
would be inclined to believe it to be sin
cerely in favor of municipal ownership,
but upon analysis in the glaring light of
it's own past record it's position reveals
very much of a combination of "asso-
ciated villainies." The honesty q which
moves the Times to indirectly advocate
municipal ownership is found in this
innocent sounding declaration: "A fair
price should be paid for the improve
ments which the company has made" "
Ninety-five per cent of the people hav-
ing made up their minds that they will
vote for municipal ownership, the next
thing for the present owners-the "octo-
pus" or associated villainies," as the
Times puts it's to sell out their plant
to the city at fair price" The whole
question is, therefore. what would fair
price be? The net income makes most
satisfying dividends on capitalization
of fully s3,000,O00 but the plant can be
duplicated for about ST. 250,00 1t is un-
derstood that the present owners would
not regard less than $4,000 900 a "fail
price, but there is an organization
called Associated honesty" which be-
lieves that fair price" would be what
the city could duplicate the plant for
which it could do and save Si,750,000 as
against buying the present plant a the
price per cent of the people, including
the Times, think would be a fair price
The question of municipal ownership be-
ing settled, therefore, the question now
at issue is: Shall the people pay the pres
ent owners of the plant s1,75O, 900 more
than it is worth? Will the Times hav,
the manliness, the frankness and tho
honesty to state without equivocatioI
whether it is in favor of paying the pres
ent owners what it would cost to dupli
cate their plant or of paying them s1,75O,
90 more than it is worth?
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