The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-06-14

PLANKS FOR POLITICAL PLAT
FORMS.
| Continued From the Journal and Cour.
Ter Of June 2ud.)
Art. Ill The machinery of govern
ment should be as simplified as possible
and all governmental agencies confined
to their proper spheres and made to ex-
l(ercise their legitimate functions.
Explanation: Under democratic insti-
buttons the legitimate function of gov
| eminent is the guaranteeing of rights
with all the freedom for each that is
| consistent with an equal amount in 9th
ers. A good democratic government is
much like the umpire of a base ball
| game; he plays on neither side, is strict
| ly impartial, and sees to it simply that
| everybody plays fair with everye one
! else.
Government, that attempts to go into
| the business arena and do business, sue
ceeds generally in proportionately get
ting out of the governmental arena and
| in lily performing its legitimate govern
mental functions.
1t is pity that governments that in
sist upon doing business rather than
governing, can't be cast, with their
personnel, altogether into the private
business arena, and the rest of the COM
munity permitted to set up an institu-
ton for the performance of the govern
mental function pure and simple.
Progress is marked by differentiation,
with tendency to award one function
to everything and to contine everything
to its function. Why should not gov
eminent conflne itself to its own ends
and what is the weakness of business
that it cannot stand alone? Why
should state and church be divorced and
state and business be welded?
The United States government is in
the banking business and has on endless
greenback chain that has threatened the
gold reserve time ad again, and that
would ruin any but d government OF
unlimited resources. AS soon as the
government pays these obligations it re-
issues them for the purpose of being
compelled to pay them again; a pro-
ceeding which alone challenges the right
of government to be in business.
In the protective tariff the United
States has gone into partnership with
hundreds of private enterprises favored
at the expense Of the people generally.
And SO deeply is government in private
Enterprise along this line that a presi-
Dental election with this for an issue
comes near to bloodshed and civil war.
The fight for government pap seems to
be fight for food. The intensity re-
suits from nothing incidental to change
of democratic governmental personnel
or legitimate interest in governing, but
from the fact that 1t is fight for and
against white slavery, by the beneficial
ries and victims of the system respec-
lively. Here the government umpire is
playing on the side of the classes and
against the masses
The germ Of the post-office is found in |
the government courier service of Eng |
land, devised for carrying official gov
eminent communications. Private let |
tiers were only gradually, and after |
some opposition, admitted. Then arose |
the custom of farming out the mail car
rying business to private individuals, |
who paid a round sum for the privilege; |
later it was made government mono
poly by acts of parliament Private en-
terprise is abundantly able to handle
the letter. carrying business of the coun-
try and can be kept out of it only by |
force of law. A few years ago private
enterprise for delivering letters at less
than government rates had to be driven
out of Washington, D. c., by the sheriff
and his deputies
Had the English government began
small express packages at the
I
low would have been no private express
business in the United States, and the
people would have been just as horr-
led at the suggestion of abolishing the
government express business, and just
Is helpless in the matter of devising a
private substitute, as now in the case of
he letter carrying business. So depeu-
lent have the people become upon gov
rnnent for the performance Of this
purely business service that it seems
liked in the nature Of things that an
rmy of broad-shouldered men should be
tut in uniform and set to passing
round light weight parcels called let
ers. Other improvements can be de-
Used, for saving the country at other
mems expense besides establishing free
|
he letter carriers might be
ut in swallowtails, and in
tead of throwing the parcels
trough a hole in the house. they might
ouch the button and pass in the letters |
n a salver, etc. To substitute private
gency for the United States post-office |
, no problem All that is necessary is
} give to private enterprise the legal
ght to engage In the mail business, and
oon the public post-office would become
superiority, driven from the field by
etter service at less cost, II this is not \
}, why does the monopoly require
by law? Said an ex-con-
ressman, IF private individuals should
onduct their business as does the Uni |
IF States post-office, they would be
ankrupt half the time and ingoal the
her half"
The patent office is founded upon
sconception Of the relative impor-
nce of the work Of society and the l
ork of particular individuals who hap
IN to become society's mouth pieces in
,me particular direction. besides the