The advocate., 1897-09-15
ALTGBLD IN A NEW ROLE.
CONTINUED from page L.

deprive government from doing what
ever may be necessary to preserve free
institutions.
During the former administration Of
Lord Salisbury as Premier of England,
it was once charged that the tendency Of
the government was s0cialistic; that
there was tendency for the govern
ment to do those things which had al
ways been left, and should be left, to the
individual; that most of the great cities
Of the empire had not only assumed the
functions of supplying their inhabitants
with water, gas, electric light and street
railway service, but that they were go
ing a great deal farther and were even
building and renting houses and doing
host of other things that were not
within the province Of government.
'He was reported as saying, in answer
to this criticism, that it was not a ques-
tiOn of Socialism at all, but simply a
question of business; a question whether
q given community can secure certain
advantages and supply certain needs
common to all Of its people more cheaply
or in a more satisfactory manner when
acting collectively than it can by leaV-
ing everything to individual effort; that
a collective body has the same right to
pursue the best business methods, and
do all things necessary to its welfare, or
the welfare Of its members, that the indi-
vidual has; that the best interest Of the
community must be the criterion by
which to decide each case; that there
was time when private individuals car
ried the mails and charged what they
IN9v, NsaVNf
office; but as the world advanced every
government took the postal business into
It's own hands, and no intelligent man
would have it turned over to a private
corporation.
THAT government, whether State OF
local, has found it necessary to make the
roads, and where private companies have
built roads and are charging toll, the
public is acquiring them; that there was
a time when education was an individual
affair but as the world advanced it was
found to be matter of so much impOr-
tance to the State that every enlightened
government makes provisions for edu-
eating all. That it was a question OF
development and each age must not only
supply it's own needs, but must deter
mine the method for doing it.
This lays down an indisputable prin-
ciple. For it would be absurd to claim
that an association of men cannot en-
ploy the best business methods to sup
ply it's wants and promote the health,
the life or the physical, moral and in
tellectual development Of it's members.
con the other hand, there are hun
dreds of things which in our age cannot
be done successfully by the municipality
or the government, but must be left to
individual effort.
Let us see what civilized man is do
ing elsewhere. Take the cities of Great
Britain first, for they have the same
power of self-gOvernment that American
cities have.
mot going further into detail, let me
say that there are at present in the |
United Kingdom 1856 municipalities that |
supply their inhabitants with water, with |
gas and electric light, and one-third of |
the street railway mileage Of Great Brit |
ain is owned by the municipalities. Leav-
ing out London it amounts to two-thirds. |
And in most instances in which they do |
not own the street railways they have |
compelled the companies to grant low |
fares and divide profits
Everywhere the tendency is toward |
collective ownership and enterprise, and
so satisfactory has this been found that
where once tried the public will tolerate
no other method. 1t is objected that in
some of the English cities the street
railway service is not so good as it is
here. But this is not the question. The
question is, how does it compare with the
service formerly given by private COM