The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-12-04
PusLIc UTILITIES.
Ehc way % Prevent Their Monopoly from
Becoming Oppressive Il for the People e
Own Them.

FCSAtS - ftItF t@a-
Tho Way 70 Frevens Their zIonopoIy nom
Bseoming Oppressive Il for the People e
Own Them.
Within the memory OF high school
studsnts letter postage was thres cents
on each half ounce-or less-of mail
matter carried. Now it is two cents
on each ounce or fraction thereof 4
reduction Of sS 1-3 per cent. was made
by congress at one swOop Why? Was
it because falling prices had increased
the exchange value Of money, thus re-
ducing the cost Of carriage and MAKE
| ing communication, one Of the prime
necessities Of civilization, possible at a
lower rate2 Certainly this was one.
and should have been the primary rea-
son, but rs a 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 q government mo-
nopoly. ANY effort to lower the fixed
charge would have caused a storm OF
indignation to emanste from the
postal company and Americans
would have been asked if they wished
to take away vested rights of indiyid-
uals, held by them under sacred, char
tered contracts.
If any one doubt this let him inVesti-
gate and see whether telegraph lines
and express companies have lowered
their tariffs materially since 1873, al
though prices have shrunk and money
has appreciated more than one half.
As matter of fact, telegraph tolls are
about twice what they were-meas-
ured by the exchange value of money
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 a lower rate of
postage. Has there not also been an
increase in the message-transmitting
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.
Yerkes, q 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 its
normal function and use, pay the same
wages as he does now. This was a
club with which he beat his employees
to the support of Mckinley. He knew
then and he knows now that as a mat
ter of fact every patron is to-day pay
ing practically double fare, for a nick
ell in 1896 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 companies.
If the time comes when the people
conclude to take the carrying business
of the country from private hands and
lodge it in the government, insatiate
greed will have only itself to blame,
for, speaking generally, the people be-
lieve in individual effort and do not
take kindly to government ownership,
when individual enterprise will fill the
hill -CbipagO DiSDafoh