The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-04-29
GOVERNMENT PROPRIETOR
SHIP.

The United States has taken the sub
ject of education largely out of the hands
of private enterprise and established
public schools and state universities and
scientific farms and experiment stations
all over the country. Every little ham
let on the face of the As states has gone
into the state school business.
The government proprietorship of the
postoffices was provided for in the consti-
tuition.
Postmaster General Wanamaker advo-
Gated the government ownership of the
,telegrph, as SUPPLEMENT of the postoffice
and the great majority of the people of
the United States, regardless of class or
party, appear favorably disposed to gov
eminent proprietorship of the telegraph.
The postal savings bank has been wide
bank panic of 1898. This would make
the government enter into the savings
bank business. That is done in a large
number of the leading countries of the
along with the postal telegraph.
Prisons were formerly private institu-
tons to some extent, and insane asylums
were private institutions in the early his
tory of the country, vastly to the dan
ger and distress Of the inmates.
In nearly all civilized countries outside
of our own the government is proprietor
of the railroads, as it is of the wagon
roads and cow-paths. It is recognized
that government is only secure when it
owns and controls it's own highways.
The highways of modern traffic and trav-
ell are -eminently the railways. The
wagon roads are of comparative insight
ticance, when the bulk of the nations
travel and traffic is taken into consider
alton. Formerly even the wagon roads
were owned and run by private interests,
some of the old toll roads being not even
yet quite extinct 1t is the same with
bridges. The first bridge across the Mis-
sissippi river at the Falls of st. Anthony
was a private institution, built by Frank
lin Steele and others. Toll bridges are
not yet extinct in this country, although
the state has appropriated most of the
enterprises of that kind.
Government proprietorship in Europe
and even in India has extended to the
forests. In nearly all European coun-
tries the forests are owned and farmed
on scientific principles by the govern
ments. New York has acquired the vast
Adirondacks forest and is beginning to
conduct it on principles of scientific for
estry. The general government is doing
the same in regard to score or more of
large timebr tracts called national parks.
In nearly all of the countries Of Europe
the government holds the fee and often
works the mines. Mining land being
natural monopoly, it is considered the
proper thing that the whole community.
represented by the state, should be pro-
prietor, rather than handful of indi-
viduals should reap the mineral boun-
ties of nature. The same idea prevails
to some extent in this country. The state
of Minnesota is proprietor at this time of
two or three OF the most valuable iron
properties in the country. One of them
yields the state upwards of 100000 per
annum in revenue.
Municipal ownership has made vast
strides in every country on earth, al
though perhaps least of all in our own
country. In Europe, it is the common
thing for the city to retain in it's own
hands the water, lighting, and transpor-
r'on franchises, and quite commonly to
operate the plants. In this country, mu-
nicipal ownership of wa+erworks is the
common thing, with some unsatisfactory