The Advocate and news., 1899-04-12

JHcuASelFe5 lOE uu lIueN. III is interesting
to know that the machinery of the colony's
local government always worked smoothly
and differences of opinion as to local or
home affairs had nothing TO do directly
with the Split up" which came from the
efforts Of non-residents to force railroad
into and through the cOlOny's grant before
there was any need of One-befOre the de-
velopment of home industries required one.
Usage City Public Opinion; 1t has been
cabIed to this country from England that
agents in that country will soon be sent
to the United States to investigate the au-
tomato couplings used on many lines in
this country. While here, the agents might
also investigate the advancement made in
this country in many respects since the
days when old England tried to make an
automatic coupling of the United States
and England.
Pontiac (Mich.) Post: The extravaganza
of Congress is apparently increasing more
rapidly than the wealth of the country,
Owing to some extent to this eXtrava-
gance, the interest bearing public debt has
increased in the last six years from $685..
100000 to $l,O20OO0,000. Very few Con-
gressmen ever think of economy in public
expenditures. Their idea seems to be that
as the government pays the bills, it doesn't
make any difference how great the extrav-
agance is which is indulged in.
Emporia Times: Anyone rejecting upon
this question of public ownership cannot
avoid reaching the conclusion that what
ever margin of profits private corporation
makes in building maintaining and oper-
ating public utility, can bessaved.t to the
public by building, owning and operating
the utility itself. That is, if corporation
secures franchise of the right to build and
operate a railroad in the streets of city,
then constructs and operates the road at a
profit, there is no reason why the city in
its own behalf cannot build, equip and OPP
crate the road at a profit for the benefit of
the town. The profit can be made and put
into the treasury for public benefits, or the
rates of transportation can be reduced and
the savings be made direct to the user
Topeka Capitals: 1t is untrue that the
trusts do not advance prices. The bust
nesses of the wire trust which recently de-
stroyed the principal industry of Law.
renee in this State is said to be about
$10,O00,O00 a year. The first act of the
trust was to advance the price 10 per cent
which placed $7,00O0O0 in the pockets o.
the manipulatOrs. That trusts and low
prices commonly 60 together is fact OI
common observation, but the low prices
are not due to the trusts; the trusts are
due to the low prices and are created and
organized as device for contending against
the tendency of the age to lower cost Oi
living The trust monster demands the
consideration of statesmen and business
men. 1t is said that it is merely a phe.
nomenOn in the natural course of industrial
and commercial evolution. This is claimed
by socialists who in their meetings openly
rejoice at the progress of the trust epi-
demic, which seems to be extending to all
industries The socialists say, and say
rightly, that after industry generally be-
comes thoroughly organized into trusts it
will be but a short step to general trust,
and it will merely require a vote to turn
the management of this general trust, or
Of all the trusts, over to the general gov
ernment. Labor agitatOrs of the sOcialistic
persuasion watch the progress of trust for
nations with equanimity, believing that
this is simply natural business evolution.
Eugene v. Debs: More than thirty years
ago Prof Z. C. Wines and Prof Theodore
w. Dwight, then commissioners of the
Prison Association of New York, made o
report to the Legislature of the State on
prison industry, in which they said: "Upon
the whole, it is our settled conviction that
the contract system of convict labor, added
to the system of political appointments,
which necessarily involves low grade Of
official qualification and constant changes
in the prison staff, renders nugatory to a
great extent the whole theory of our peni-
tentiary system. Inspection may correct
isolated abuses, philanthropy may relieve
isolated cases of distress, and religion may
effect isolated moral cures; but genuine,
radical, comprehensive, systematic improve
ment ia imDOssible" The laDse of thirty