The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-10-16
INDIVIDUALISM
NOT SOCIALISM
TOM JOHNSON STANDS FOR
lNDIVIDUALISM.
Enterprises, Monopolis'ic in Their
Character, If Not Controlled by
a Community, Will Control the
Community.

| CINCINNATI, OnlO, Oct. - al
Editors Fear of Socialism, was tn
subject of an address delivered thi
evening by Herbert s. BigeIow. Mr.
Bigelow prefaced his remarks with thu
following quotation from the 9th chap
ter of Jer smiah. 18th and 2Sth verses
For among my people are found
wicked men they lay wait, as he that
setteth snares; they set trap, they
catch men.
"As a coop is full of birds. so are
their houses full of deceit; therefore
they are become great ana waxen r,ch.
They are waxen fat, they shine; yea,
they overpass the deeds of the wicked;
they Judge not the cause, the cause of
the fatherless, yet they prosper; and
the right of the needy do they not
Judge.
Mr.. Bigelow said IN part:
II there are any men in the state of
Chic to whom these words of Jeremiah
are applicable, they are the proprietors
OF the Cincinnati Enquirer ana the
Cincinnati Times Star. One IS a So
called Democrat and the other ls a
SO called Republican. But they are
both monopollsts They love their
privileges moro than their party prin-
ciples This is evidenced by the fact
that they have joined Issue this year
in their opposition to the candidacy OF
Mayor Tom l.. johnson for governor.
Why do they oppose h,m1 They say
it is because he IL Socialist. They
are intelligent men and they know
better. They oppose MIN because he
would take from them the privilege
they now enjoy OF heaping up for them
selves unearned fortunes through the
power of monopoly. But they could
not MAKE votes if they said that.
Therefore they CRY, Away with
Socialism" and they hope, by that
appeal to ignorance and prejudice. to
bring dlscredit upon just cause and
protect their privileges
The Enquirer editor says: "The
whole tendency of the movement
which Mr.. johnson is engineering is
in the direction Ut State Socialism. -
To this the Tunes Star editor says,
amen. Both papers publish the
same editorial, and agree that the
views of Mr.. johnson ''are the widest
posi- Bile departure from the sound ana
seasoned Democracy of the fathers -
At his recent Music Hall meeting in
Cincinnati, Mayor johnson was inter
rupted by Socialist. Replying to the
questloner, he said:
''All enterprises which are in their
nature private, shold be left in private
hands, and are not the business of
But when you have an
which Is, In Its very nature,
q monopoly, ii the community does not
own and operate 1t. it will own and
operate the community.
A telephone business is IN It's very
nature monopoly business. Two
telephone companies are nuisance.
1t Is necessary to the convenience OF
the public that there be one central
exchange and that each subscriber
shall be in communication with every
other. The welfare of the community
requires that there shall be but one
company. But every community has
to meet the question. who shall be
the company" If the telephone
business is left in private hands, the
by some franchise grant,
has to declare, in effect, that some one
or corporation, and no other.
shall have the privilege of engaging in
the CUISINES That means private
Practically. the only
escape from it is In municipal owner
ship.
What Is true of the telephone busi-
ness 10 equally true OF the gas and
electric light and street railway COM
panies.
There is no more sense In having the
streets torn up by competing gas COM
panies than there is in having the city
aisfgured by the poles and wires Of
telephone companies. One
company Can perform the work better
than two or more Competition Is
sometimes resorted to as means Of.
an oppressive monopoly. but
such competition is shortlived, for
nsolidation is the natural law.
Why has 1t become the almost uL
lversal practice for An erican cities to
own their own water wOrksY 1t IS
because II Is business which Is best
left to some one company and expert
ence has proven that ii Is not good
public poll ~ to give to private cor
p0rationa monopoly Of the water sup.
ply VI WY
Why then should a private company
have the exclusive privilege Of furnish
ing gas to a city. or electric light, or
street railway transportationy All the
arguments In favor of the city owning
ts own water works apply equally to
The problem OF city lighting or trans
portation.
The difference between Mayor
Johnson and the Socialists is this
The Socialists believe that the state
mould 90 into the business OF making
shoes and clothes, and raising hogs
md building houses. According to
he Socialistic theory. there Is no
imit to be placed upon the activities |
II the State.
On the otner hand, Mayor johnson |
believes 1t would be 3 calamity for the |
tate to invade the field Of private
enterprise. He Is an uncompromising |
tndividualist and wants the state to |
seep Its hands OIL OF everything that |
an be safely left to private enterprise. |
le sees however, that these public |