New Ulm review., 1897-09-15
Ideas of Others.

delphia on Labor Day took a fall out OF
the political corruptionists when he said
GAS things are now, the people have
to bear the burden Of corruption among
officials, have to fatten lot of polite
ians and have to fill the Golfers of insati-
able corporations besides, while, if these
corporations were wiped out, the sums
which they now get could 60 into the
public treasury, and the people them
selves would again get control of their
government, and they would no longer
be sold bv their own representatives, nor
defeated in their purpose by horde OF
rotten lobbyists, hired by corporations
with money which had been extorted
from the people themselves.
$50 long as there was competition our
people preferred to let it regulate every
thing, but competition is being entirely
wiped out by pools and trusts and our
people will be devoured by vultures un
less the government comes to their res
cue"
In discussing govetnment ownership
of railroads in the same speech, Mr.. Alt
geld gave the following reasons for fav-
oring the same:
"Flfty-four of the governments of the
earth own and operate their steam rail
roads. In the United States The roads
are owned and operated exclusively by
corporations.
'It appears that there are now about
six hundred railroad presidents with
their stats in this country that are draw.
ing high salaries, while the legal expens-
es growing out Of contests between the
roads themselves run far up into the mil
lions, so that several of the ablest statls-
ticians oe this country hold that if the
railroads were all consolidated and run
by the government there would be SO
many large items of savings that it
would amount to several hundred mil
lions year and would soon pay tor the
roads.
"One of the large items in the present
expenses of railroad companies is the
corruption fund; that is the fund with
which they bribe legislatures, bribe city
councils, carry elections and otherwise
debauch the public. 1t is apparent that
the railroads of this country must charge
higher rates than would be necessary if
they we're operated by the government;
and it is found that on the average they
are just about twice as high for the
masses of the people here as they are in
Europe"
Hon. J. Sterling Morton has written
strong article for the Forum on the ne
cessity of retrenchment and reform in
our pension system. Mr.. Morton says:
Why should the decade from 1880 to
1890 show more than 100000, 900 paid
for pensions, when that from 1870 to
1880 shows less than $4OO, 100000? 4
X No good citizen objects to
pensions for those real soldiers who in
Cured genuine disabilities IN the service
or consequent upon the service. But
the thousands of men who draw pensions
from the government of the United States
because by sworn testimony they have
proved themselves victims of chronic
disease, and at the same time have poll
cies in life insurance companies, tc which
they have solemnly declared themselves
free from all chronic maladies, aggregate
a stupendous swindle upon citizens who
pay taxes or upon those who carry life
insurance. Why should not investigation
be made, and such cases eliminated from
the pension rolls? How can any man,
without perjuring himself. have pen
sion because he has chronic disorder,
and a life insurance policy because he
has not such an affliction?
In his Labor Day address at St. Louis
Vim. ]. Bryan touched upon injunctions.
He said:
"Laboring people have special inter-
est just now in securing relief from what
is aptly described as government by in