The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-01-13
ALTGELD'S JACKSON DAYSPFEEECH At OMAHA


many that IL can, should and must do,
IT has been demonstrated that munich
palities can successfully and very profit
ably own and operate water, gas and
electric light plants, street railway sys-
TENS and a number of other things. and
the American people are prepared to
move forward along this line and every
such step by helping the people will helm
the Democracy.
Telegraph and Telephone MonoroIies.
Thu American people are also prepared
to take the telegraph and telephone mo.
nopoly and make them part of the post
office. and thus not only cheaper tho
service by one-half but make the tele-
graph neutral in politics. Ours is almost
the only great government in the world
that does not own the telegraph lines.
Postal Savings Banks.
/ believe that our people are also pre-
pared for postal savings banks and wild
ening the functions Of the postal depart
ment. 1t is safe and very cheap to the
public. The English postofice runs saw
ings banks, issues fire insurance, life in
surancc, sells annuities, and does many
other things at greatly reduced rates, and
IL does what is almost a general carrying
or express trade Of small articles at
greatly reduced rates. A man once said:
You can send a saw-mill through mails
there"
Control of Railways.
But the greatest question is the control
of our railroads.. Nearly all the govern
ments of the earth own the railroads.,
and railroad service. both passenger and
freight, cost their people on the average
about one-half what our people must pay.
However. it is not the economic feature
That L wish to discuss at present. The
railroads and corporations now run our
government. They control the appoint
ment of Federal judges, they meddle
with the election Of congressman, Sena-
tors, State Legislators. Governors and
Alderman. They dictate the policy of
government, and they do it by corruption.
Years & l wrote some articles favorirg
governmental control or regulation of
railroads. but not ownership. Observa-
ton has satisfied me this Is all futile.
Instead of a board regulating the cor
poratlons the corporations regulate the
board. And if they run against an hon
est board some friendly judge flies to
their rescue and kicks the board clear off
the highway.
Observation-Disclosures Farce.
1t was lately suggested that the law
should require the interstate
commissioners to shut their eyes when
drawing their salary, so as to lessen the
moral shock OF getting something for
nothing. At present there seems to be
no way of protecting the public and
restoring to the people their government.
except by having the government own
the railroads. AS between having the
corporation own the government or hay-
ing the government own the corporation.
the American people will prefer the lat
ter.
Duty OF the Party.
To the Democratic party it is a question
OF vital interest. 1t can never become
a corporation party without abandoning
its mission and becoming ~contemptible
in the eyes Of men. Therefore the cor
porations will always furnish the Doodle
to Mark Hanna with which to debauch
the American voter and defeat that par
ty. If the government owned the roads
1t would be different. True, 1t would
create a large patronage. This, however.
might be regulated by civil service. but
even If 1t were not the government could
not possibly coerce its men more than
the corporations do now, and it could not
pay the large sums for corruption pur-
poses which the corporations now adj
vance and then indirectly get back from
the government. If the government own
ed the railroads many trusts now made
powerful by railroad discrimination would
dissolve.
How Little Corporation Isantams Are
lncubateu.
The great and rimina corporations are
| the incubators which have been Matching
the little bantams that talk ar;stocracy.
Destroy the incubators and the brood will
die out. These, my friends, are the is
sues. this our high purpose.
We are not interested in cheap politics.
We are trying to establish a higher JUS
tice and bring mankind a days march
nearer to the great high plane Of human
brotherhood. Two centuries ago the
world struggled for religious liberty, a
century ago for political liberty; today
it is in the birth throes of industrial lib
erty. Religious liberty could not live
amid superstition, but demanded liberal
Institutions Political liberty could not
live amid kings and aristocracies, but de-
manded republican institutions. Indus
trial liberty cannot live amid monopoly
and injustice, and 1t is calling for higher
standards. Democracy established re]i-
gious and political freedom and it must
now establish industrial freedom by CIV
ing The public the benefit of all monop-
olies.
Road to Industrial Freedom.
How is this to be done? By the same
means by which every great reform and
moral advance in the history of the world
has been carried forward. The soul Of
the hero and the spirit of the martyr
are the twin guides of human progress,
James Russell Lowell summed up the
whole history Of civilization when he
penned the lines:
Truth forever on the scaffold,
Wrong forever on the throne.
But that scaffold sways the future.
And behind the dim unknown
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch upon his own"
Today truth is on the scaffold and
wrong is on the throne. The forces that
support crime~in high places are masters,
and as they live by the breath of false
hood, we must expect every possible in
dignity, and we must expect temporary
reverses.
Right Is Eternal.
Howard Taylor said: cover a century
ago the British drove the Pine Tree flag
off of Bunker Hill, but God retreated
with it till he brought it back to Bunker
HILL" My friends, Justice is not abdi-
eating: AVE no fear about our cause.
It's ultimate success is written on the