Hutchinson gazette., 1900-09-27
TRUSTISM AND SOCIALISM.



The American republic was built
upon the foundation OF individual
enterprise. This old economic order
which has produced what we know
as the American character, with all
its vlgor, audaclty and self-reliance,
II threatened from two sides, The
avowed socialists would take all busi-
ness out of the hands Of private citi-
2cns and intrust Il to public officials.
The trusts would take It out of the
hands Of ordinoryNmen and give 1t to
few monopollsts,
In so far as the conduct Of the ma
tional industries Is concerned, there
Is no difference between state social
ism and trust socialism, Both Nbol-
ish individual enterprise in business
Both reduce the population TO the
position Of employees. But there Is q
great difference in the distribution
Of the product and the effects on ma
tlonaI happiness and character state
socialism gives everything produced
TO the workers. Trust socialism gives
the workers the lowest wages foI
which they can be induced to labor
and turns over everything else TO Q
handful Of capitalists, Under state
socialism the cmployc Is n sclf-res
pccting public official who works foI
no man, but for the whole commu
nifty, of which he Is Il citizen equally
with his superior officer. Under trust
socialism the employe Is the servant
He Is working for men who stand or
an entirely different level from his
own. There is no possibility Of win
ming promotion that shall put him or
their grade.
by all its traditions the democratic
party is pledged to the maintenance
of the American system Of individual
enterprise as far as possible. The
ideal OF its founders was n state ot
society in which every man should
be his own master But due regard
must be paid to the course OF social
development, The tendency toward
the concentration of Industries in
many directions cannot be and ought
not to be resisted. Where an industry
has passed beyond the stage in which
competitive, go-0s-you-pleuse manage
mcnt can secure the best results foI
the public, II ought to be organized
under single control. But in that
ease, as rule, that control should
be directed by public authority.
In other words, where the progress
of events has made an infusion of so.
cinlism unavoidable, the democracy
prefers state socialism TO trust so.
cialiSm.
That is the case, for instance, in
the matter Of the telcgrNphs The
telegraph business is organized on d
thoroughly socalstic basis. \ single
vast system extends its wires firm Key
West to Puget sound. Competition is
practically non-eNistent and individ
unl enterprise entirely so. In such cir
cumstnnces private control is wholly
mscheyious. In every respect except
its management and the distribution
Of it's profits, the telegraph system
is public enterprise, and the process
Of naturalization ought to be made
complete,
So Of the railroads. We have moi
yet reached the single railroad truSt
that is to control all the trnnspor
tation routes of the country, bu'
things are moving that way so rapidly
that the end is plainly in sight, N
ready we have single men in commant
Of railroad systems greater than III,
whole mileage Of important European
countries. Half dozen men coulC
get together about lunch table ant
dictnte the policy of all the roads il
the United States.
The railroad system has passed he
yond the competitive stage Of organi
Haton, and therefore ought to belong
TO the public.
The foregoing is lin parD an articl,
which appeared simultaneously in tn,
New York Journal, the Chicago Amer
ican and the San Francisco Examiner