The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-09
A HEAVEN
ON EARTH.
Mrs. James Lewis, Wife Of Gov.
Leedy's Private Secretary,
Reads a Paper Before the Com
mOnwealth Club
THAT ENTHUSES THEM
How Happy All Men Would Be
If They
Only Would Change the Pres
emit Social System.
Ex-Governor st. John Tells a
Funny Story.
Reads a Paper Before the Com.
mOnWealth Club
THAT ENTHUSES THEM
How Happy All Men Would BE
If They
Only Would Change the Pres
emit Social System.
Ex-Governor st. John Tells a
Funny Story.

An admirable picture of the Millennium
was shown the Commonwealth Institute
| this morning by Mrs. James Lewis or
Kins1ey, wife of the former private sec
| rotary to the governor, in her paper
| "Individualism Under Extended Public
| Ownership" After going over at length
| the industrial conditions as they exist
! at present Mrs. Lewis turned to the
| future and pictured new age. She
| said:
I'm the new age that is to come we
| shall have a system of mutual guaran-
tees, giving immunity from labor IN
! youth, old age and sickness. The better
things will assume their true va1ue
when the atmosphere clears. Lies mt
| full fever will indeed be over, but we
shall still live, and live here in calm
| and beautiful peace in which we Will
recreate and consecrate our ideals ana
| make use of their wonderful power Tor
| the regeneration of society. The false
ideals will die of their own evil. The
mists and clouds of fear and spiritually
diseased things can not flourish in the
sunlight. We shall understand that
even our industrial evils, under which
we struggle and perish, are our wrong
Ideals cryStaI1zed into social 1nStltu-
lions, wrongs grown so great that they
have built great bulwarks of laws and
customs behind which they now shelter
themselves. Patriotism will have a new
and delightful meaning under extended
public ownership. Hearts will Vlbrate
with a new love and reverence for
country whose institutions, which are
founded on justice and equality, call
forth these eternal principles to guard
the economic institutions of the people.
The members of the Institute were
so taken with the Mrs. Lewis picture
that the discussion at the conclusion of
the paper was of millennium order.
Mrs. DiggS recited instances of two men
whom she had known who worked for
the betterment of the people in general
without any thought of remuneration
or fame, and said they were characters
who belonged to the new age. Mrs.
Diggs' remarks reminded Ex-Governor
John P. st. John of an incident, and he
told it.
This is about man who was happy
under adverse circumstances and not
exactly one who worked for the better
ment Of Others" said he as a preface to
his story. "It was during the hard
times in Kansas and I happened to be
travelling through Trego county looking
up conditions. 1 came to a miserable
dugout in the middle of the prairie, and
found a half starved individual sitting
by the door. Conditions are pretty bad
here I said by way of introduction.
Eyes, purity bad he said without
Offering to leave his seat.
"tAny rain Iately% 1 asked.
" Not in four months he replied
ANY crops {?
." Not in two years."
"'Anything to eat?' -
aside of bacon left"
"Well,' I said. things are in pretty
bad shape"
"'oh. yes, kind O. Bad ne said. But
here that we mightn't have. We've got
the goldarndest funniest climate in the
whole country"
Governor st. Johns story caused the
first laughter since the Institute opened,
as the Commonwealth people are too
serious in their work to spend much
time in laughter.
Among the many distinguished speak
ers at the Commonwealth club this
week was Prof. Frank Parsons of Bos-
ton, president of the National League
for Promoting Public Ownership of
Monop1ies. Prof. Parsons is a son of
Mr.. Parsons of College Hill, and bro
Their of Mrs. James F. Griffin of lily
Monroe street. He is we'll known
through his contributions to the Arena
and other publications to large and
intelligent class of readers. The League
of which he is president contains many
noted names. In fact nothing but no
ted names. Among them E. E. Hale,
B. Fay. Mills, Ridpath, Pingree, How
ellis, Gompers, Rainsford, GLADDEN.,
Lloyd, Mrs. Stanton, Mrs. Livermore.
Miss Shaw, Jane Adams. Miss Will
lard and Edward Be1lamy were also
members of the organization.
The object of the League is to educate
the people in its tenets by lectures and
literature.
Prof Parsons who spoke on Munich
pal Ownership,its Ethics and its Pro-
gress yesterday afternoon, began by
saying:
public ownership is not government
ownership unless the people own the
government. In Philadelphia there was
government ownership of the gas COM
pany but not public ownership because
the Philadelphia council would not per-
NIT the people to vote concerning it's
mana cement. Wonderful progress has
been made in favor of public ownership
of monopoly and the sentiment is still
growing. 1t appeals to the underlying
sentiment of brotherhood in human ma
ture. Brotherhood does not require
conflict but union-democracy, diffusion
of benefit.
Two things are necessary that the peo-
pie may own the government-civil serv-
ice reform and direct legislation. These
two things make public ownership GER
cessive charges, watered stock, poor serv-
nation ina Gs' fraud. III treatment Of employees
the people is a forcible tax. Monopoly tax
is a tax without representation Street
railway monopolies refuse to lay Rrooved
kill people than to protect them-) They
discriminate in favor of people who can
poor to pay. Influential persons are serv-
law and makes the poor pay for the rich.
Compare the policeman of Boston under
public control with the Boston car CON
ductor under private control The police
man has 81 POO a year with 10 hours work,
retres in old age half pay, can organ
ize and vote as he pleases, while the car
is not allowed to organize, his vote is die
tated by his employer. and he is dropped
as soon as he is too old to be useful.
Public ownership is not so unfavorable
to political purity private monopoly.
The private monopoly is the most cor
rupting influence known to modern poll