The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-04-13
Our Non-Progresslxe CONDITION.

OeAA AN0h1-A = - $3.50 - ~FSAAraASN@-As
CDR. Taylor says that in Europe you
can deposit money at any post Office, and
draw it out in any amounts you please, at
any other Office in the country, wherever
you happen to be. You can pay your
debts and make remittances of all kinds
through the postal savings banks. In
some countries, you can insure your life
through the post Office. You can collect
your bills through it. If you are farm
er's wife and make a tub of butter, the
post Office will take your butter from your
door, carry it to the city, deliver it to
merchant, collect the money for it, and
pay you the cash. If you want to find
out the price iu advance you can send a
telegram FIVE hundred miles for half what
it would cost you to send one ten miles
here. And vet in this country we can't
even have Postal Savings Banks, Just
because the bankers don't want them !;
we can't have a postal telegraph because
the telegraph companies don't want them /;
we can't have parcel post because it
would interfere with the enormous profits
Of the express monopo1ies.
The British Parliament has grappled
with the telephone monopoly in England
and passed law authorizing the post
Office department to construct system of
Hines in connection with the telegraph
service, which already belongs to the
government, and do all London city and
long distance business in competition with
the Bell Company. at much reduced rates.
Public telephones will be established in
| all telegraph and post offices ;sprivate tel
ephones will be placed in business houses
and residences to order, and the munic-
| <114 A..
| so, 900 population are authorized to estab-
| 1ish telephone plants for local service.
The charge in London now for the use of
telephone is SIS a year, under a five
years contract. ard $Ioo year for less
/ time. The government will charge one
half that amount to begin with, and pro-
vide for reduction in rates as soon as the
circumstances justify it."
The above is quoted from the Farm
Journal for April Dir. Taylor publishes
the Medicai World in Philadelphia and
is one ofthe most advanced thinkers and
reform workers in the country, devoting
several pages monthly of his medical
journal to the discussion of economic
questions.
The fact is beginning to dawn on the
people of the United States thatthey have
one Of the most castiron, inAexible gov.
ernments in the Christian civilization
group of governments. Although our
government is classed as popular one,
with the control of public affairs pre-
suned to be altogether in the hands of
| tta v,ao.,1a yat there ie .,ott,;.,or f,,-tt,av
from the truth. The people have almost
no control in shaping and directing gov
ernment matters. The governments of
Europe. though monarchical in form, are
far more progressive and liberal than that
of the United States. The people here
would gladly have such advantages as
are set forth in tie extract, at the head Of
this article but they are shut out from
exercising the power to get them.
The power of the people is tied up in a
representative system that has been cap
tured by. and is used for the benefit of
corporations (which have got control of
the government, State and National, by
bribing the men who are delegated by the
people TO make all of their laws, and by
organized election machinery to elect such
delegates OF representatives as they select,
and for whom the people must vote or
not vote at all
There is little hope or prospect of the
people securing any measure of the gov.
ernment they want, aud almost univer-
sally desire. The entire machinery Of
government, National, State and nunic-
ipal, is firmly held in the hands of giant
monopoles. The people are locked ont
by their State and National constitutions,
as law makers by direct vote, and have
to depend wholly on delegating their
power and rights as law makers. These
constitutional bars it is we'll nigh impos-
sible to get removed. Hence we have a
rigid, inhexible system of government
which the people fnd almost impossible
to reform.
| Political parties have grown TO be little
else than machines operated by few who
make pofession of politics aud through
these political machines beat good
living out of The public. The masses of
the people are virtual slaves ofthese party
machines. Our written constitutions
made well nigh impossible TO change,
lock up the peoples rights of self govern.
ment as in an iron cage.
Nearly all the European governments
have made great progress in popuiarising
their governments and granting many
public benefits to the people, but the
United States has not advanced single
step in that direction from the day that
our constitutional union was established,
more than hundred years ago. Our
written constitution which was intended
to safe guard the liberties of the people,
which the clarion voice Of the Declaration
Of independence proclaimed, has tied the
hands Of the people. shut up their power
to help themselves in castiron prison.