The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-02
PATERNALIsM IN GOVERNMENT.


PATERNALIsM IN GOVERNMENT.
The Public Ownership Review, published
| In Los Angeles, Cal, has announced pur-
! pose to organize throughout the country
Public Ownership Political Unions" for
| the purpose Of carrying out scheme of pa
Journalism in government quite as wild as
that set forth by Bellamy in his Looking
| Backward" The political programme
which the Review announces for this or
ganization, which is called the Democratic
Union party, has for its leading plank 1.-The
public ownership. not of the utilities alone,
but of all monopolies. inclusive of land and
trusts" Having stated the leading purpose
Of this new party, the organ goes on to spec
fly as follows:
The transition to public ownership should
be FACILITATED by laws promoting the con-
soldation Of industries and by levying a
special tax on these monopolies TO prevent
the accumulation of monopoly values in
owners hands The sums thus raised
should be applied to the purchase of the
monopoieS by the public, at unwatered and
nonspeculatve values. To place land within
the reach of all desiring 10 use 1t, tax
should be laid upon all land above a fixed
value. The community should then pur-
chase land at its real mot speculative) valu-
alton and lease it on long terms to cult
vators, advancing assistance at low rate
OF interest to those without funds to begin
agriculture. To bring immediate relief to
the people from the burdens of unequal tax
auon, the inheritance tax should De MADE
general and greatly increased, and an income
tax re-enacted. The issue Of money should
be made a direct function of government,
in accordance with the principle of public
ownership The state should conduct the in
surance and the liquor businesses. There
should be a legal eight-hour day and mini
&c n
ployerS to fill the place of strikers by i'm
ported laborers. The school age should be
raised by law to sixteen years, that thor
ough technical education may be given, to
keep the young out of industrial competition
with adults, thereby taking up the unem-
ployed and to lay solid national founda-
tions of moral and physical health. Pend
ing the adoption OF the foregoing measures
productive public work should be provided
for the unemployed. The monarchical pol
icy of expansion, Imperialism" and large
standing army and navy should be squarely
met with unconditional reputation.
Nothing more absurd could be devised
than most of this platform 1t has but two
redeeming features in it-those relating to
education and an eight-hour law as far as
practicable The rest is tumble of the
views of Socialists and Communists which
have been discarded by the more recent adj
vocates Of socialism, who wait for evolu-
tionary methods. The first thing which
would be necessary in order to carry these
crazy schemes into effect would be the
overthrow of national and state constitu-
tions. The programme is not a declaration
of war upon corporate greed and monop-
oily, but scheme to rob the vast number
Of people who have farms and property Of
any kind. 1t is a scheme of confscation
and pillage The purpose of the leaders, as
set forth by the Review in the following
quotation, is interesting:
The Democratic Union party contains
many who are in It solely as stepping
stone to the ultimate reform Of public own
ership and not at all for free silver. The
party leaders are fully conscious of the sit
uation and count on holding this element
eTship of railroads, etc. BY these induce
ments they will try to hold the radical
public ownership element to their prime
doctrine-silver. Now, to stand the ghost
tain this public ownership vote, because 1t
is so large portion of their party. Hence
these radicals can demand what they Will
of the Democrats and be certain to receive
it on condition that they are an organized
body prepared to withdraw from the Demo-
cratic party if their request is refused.
The Missionaries who advocate such wild
schemes assume that the thing they call the
public or government possesses the perfec-
ton of wisdom. And yet those who have
studied the subject know that government
rs now constituted has the smallest capacity
to manage affairs of any kind. A corpora
ton could run the postotfice better than it
is done by the government. Many of those
who advocate the ownership of the natural
utilities by cities seem to forget that the
most incompetent most expensive and most
unsatisfactory agency in the country is mu-
nicipal government This is due to the fact
that the number of people in cities who de-
sire intelligent and businesslike govern
ment are in the minority. The Selling of
the public utilities by municipal govern
ment should wait until it has been ascer-
tanned that a decided majority Of the voters
can be depended upon, year after year, to
put the management of city affairs into the
hands of capable and honest men.