The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-03-04
Down in Kansas
Not To he Bluffeil-The Farm
erx Fight the Trusts with Their
Own Weapons. =. e. -.
By Thos. E. Hill.

" HE Kansas state legislature, by
recent enactment, has decided to
have the inmates of their state
prison engage in the manufacture Of
binding twine for the benefit Of the
state. Their excuse for this daring
act of paternalism is that the farmers
are being oppressed by a twine trust.
Ordinarily for the government to en-
gage thus in manufacturing would
be regarded as fragrant violation of
private rights, but the reputation Of
the trusts has become so odious the
people will submit to anything for the
sake of downing them.
900
The far reaching influence of this
new government enterprise there is no
estimating. If it is advisable for the
government to manufacture binding
twine for the relief of farmers that
they may escape the high prices of
the twine trust it is equally important
that the state prison: convicts make
school books for the farmers that they
may escape the oppression of the
school book trust.
Why not? Is it not just as impor-
tant that the children of farmers have
cheap books as that their fathers shall
have cheap binding twine?
Of course an exceedingly loud pro-
test will at once come mp from the
manufacturers Of twine, and they will
induce their employees to sign a re-
monstrance against the government
engaging thus in opposition to pri-
vate enterprise, but the Indignation
felt throughout the country concern
ing trusts will outweigh all the re-
monstrance which will come from
manufacturers.
Not only. will the twine makers
arouse themselves in opposition to
the government going into the manu-
featuring business but they will sound
the alarm to manufacturers in general.
Then the manufacturers will coax and
cajole their workmen into signing Pc
titions to state legislatures and to
congress asking the government to
cease competition with legitimate in
dividual manufacturing.
Then every stockholder in every en-
terprise fearful that his stock will de-
crease in value from government COM
petition, will rouse himself in opposi-
tion to what they will claim is the
destruction of private enterprise.
But their remonstrances will not
avail. It will be SO perfectly evident
that they are actuated by motives of
selfshness they will get no sympathy,
more especially from the further fact
that they are in combine whicn pur-
poses to crush out competition and
raise the cost of production to the
consumer.
The free supply of school books to
the children of the public schools is
one of the near certainties. That it
will dawn upon the legislators to
manufacture these books in the state
prisons there is no doubt. Why not?
Shall sentiment stand in the way of
manufacturing books as cheaply as
possible for the use of the people.
While the government will obtain rev.
enue from the different boards of edu-
cation sufficient to pay the prison ex-
penses?
Will sentiment against government
ownership cause people to desire to
pay large price to school BOOK
trust when the same books could be
produced by, the government at a
greatly less price and the taxpayers
of the country be that much the gain
er?
Is it not probable that the prisons
Of the country may be converted into
publishing houses for the benefit OF
the people who want school books:
If the services of the prisoners can be
thus profitably employed and books
be produced as good in quality and
vastly cheaper, why not?
And now that we have let the oars
down and the government has ac-
tually gone into the manufacturing
business in the production of twlne
let us forecast the outcome.
Quite likely the government wl'l
run up against trust which may
control the growing of hemp. In that
event it will be but short step to the
establishment of Il government hemp
farm and another governmental in
dustry will come into existence.
In the printing of school books the
authorities will run Oh to gigantic