Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-06-14
CURRENT COMMENT.

New York Evening Post: The COM
munity of interest that was to produce
such harmony in the industrial and
financial world has led to battle OF
giants. The field is strewn with dead
and wounded, and the question rises
involuntarily:
Can such things be,
And overcome us like summer cloud,
Without our special wonder?
The country, prosperous though 1t
be, is full of discomfort with the AFRO
gance of men who control millions,
and who combine today and fight to-
morrow, regardless Of the rights and
interests of the masses. There is
substratum of socialism in every COM
munity which demands municipal
ownership of public utilities" 1t
wants street railroads and gas and
electric lighting works and telephones
to be owned by the cities and admins
tered in the interest Of the consumer
It will very likely want country trolley
lines to be owned by the state and
operated in competition with the steam
railroads. 1t may demand the taking
of coal and iron mines and oil wells
under the law Of eminent domain. II
may impose killing taxes on what 1t
conceives to be dangerous monopolies.
1t may meet the Community Of inter-
est" idea of railroad management with
more stringent legislation by congress-
and the legislatures than any we have
yet had. 1t is only a rumbling force
now, but is capable of doing vast mis-
chief, both to itself and to those
whom 1t conceives to be inimical to 1t.
Nothing is better calculated to awaken
this slumbering giant than such spec
tacles as we have had in Wall street
the past few days.
San Francisco Star: A despised con-
| temporary says that Tom l.. Johnson
the newly elected mayor of Cleveland
| is said to have one eye on seat In
the United States senate and the other
on the governorship, SO it would seem
he will have to go it blind so far as the
city is concerned" Mayor Tom L.
Johnson has already saved the city OF
Cleveland millions of dollars by STOP
ping water front grab of the Pennsyl.
vania railroad, by his promptness In
taking office, and he is now vigorously
overhauling assessments, by which
course he will reach the tax-shirkers
and relieve those who are now bear
ing double burdens. He has also taken
the first step toward three-cent street
car fares and municipal ownership
That does not look much like going
| it blind"
Springfield Republican,: A reputed
trust salary of 100000 ought to make
the recipient. a jealous defender Of
trusts. and Charles M. Schwab of the
United States Steel corporation is nc
disappointment in that respect. He
admitted to the federal industrial com
mission that the trusts made lower
prices on the export trade and used
the tariff to hold up the home price
but while claiming that great econo
mics in production were effected by
the trusts, still he held the steel trust
needed tariff protection on account o.
differences in labor cost. He was op
posed to labor consolidation and II
favor of the highest degree of CAPT
tai consolidation. And he wal
also opposed to enforced publicit.
in the accounts of such monopolies al
he is now running. In word Mr.
Schwab believes fully in public mon
opoly conducted by private individuals
for unregulated private profit. Undel
the circumstances this is not remark
able. (