Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-06-03

ought 10 Dc SulIlCleuU. DuU
we have all been so blinded
bv the tom foolery of the old compel
itlve system, that when we do see an
economic truth, it takes us years to
draw all the inference which wiser
age will be able to perceive at a
glance.
Let socialists hold up their heads,
look their opponent in the eye, and
declare manfully: eve sue for simple
Justice at your hands-naught else we
ask, nor less will have"
How popular all at once has become
the municiple ownership movement!
So popular, indeed as to arouse a 1T
tie suspicion on the part of cool heads
that this sudden love of popular
rights is not altogether disinterested.
ment, if the holders of franchise which
cost them nothing, can sell their plants
to cities at-say twice the labor cost
of construction, take their pay in thir-
ty r-gold-interest bonds, get rid
of all trouble of superintendent, let
the city collect-dividends, and pay
over to our pets. Let us now look
into some propositions for national
izing railroads, telegraphs, etc. | see
one popular socialist book propose to
pay, three hundred and ninety six mill
ions of dollars yearly for thirty years
to secure government OweTship OF
the railroads.
The writer remarks ingel. -rously by:
"These figures fairly staggard the the
people" Well | should think they
would have slight tendency"to stag
ger" people.
Another popular writer makes the
people pay nine billions of dollars in
three per cent bonds for the railroads,
telegraph and telephone lines. These
bonds were to run for fiftyyear The
writer does not say that this staggard
any body" but think it did, especial
" as the government finally bought
in all the property of the country on
similar terms.
Now, Mr.. President, | move you
that we don't pay one cent of bonds
for anything.
If we first open exchange, and take
in all kinds of products, we shall soon
be able to feed armys ofworkers. We
can then invite the owners of these
plants to deposit their property atits
labor cost, and take pay in labor
checks, legal tender and redeemable
in consumable products of labor. If
+ the owners of these properties do not
wish to accept our Offer we can build
similar plants at just so much as the
!. labor cost. To pay more is not only
unnecessary but immoral | think
\ very few have ever thought on the
& monsterous immortality of making
the laborer work twice as long to buy
a railroad as it would take them to
Y build it. Almost every one is expect
ing to evolute toward socialism by
taking in great properties, because
said properties are now used to OPP
press the people. Let me say that
such a course would be a sore way to
exchange corporate slavery, for bond
cd slavery with government holding
the lash to lash out dividends for
bloodd suckers.
If you purchase railroads at twice
\ the cost of custom, you do steal
the value of one railroad from the
workers, and give it to the idlers. In
Heavens name Have we not tieeced
workers long enough i'll the interest
OIL 10lerS! MUST we HOW, III lliS hSAI
thirty or fifty years, steal two or
three times the present value ofall the
property in the United States-steal
this from the workers, and givelt-an
additional boon to the idlers? And
must we then add insult to injury by
calling this villiany socialism and JUS
tice? | call this villiany, not with
standing those who propose such a
course are, | believe nearly always,
honest men, but | wish such good peo-
pie to see how far they are missing
the true standard Of justice their
minds are vet clouded by the vicious
accumulation of ages of competition.
In conclusion let me move the fol-
lowing platform for the Somebody's
Party in 1900:
eve, the somebodies of the Unite1
States, pledge the Somebody's Party
to enact a law for the purpose ofopen-
ing National exchanges a movement
for all the people, IN, which exchange
the people the can deposit any useful
product of labor, and receive therefor
legal tender checks redeemable in the
products within the keeping of the
National exchanges said checks to be
non-taxable, but receivable for all
taxes, national, state and local. we
further pledge ourselves to enact laws
providing for the receipt on deposit
of any valuable lands, mines, build