The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-23
The Moral of the Postofice Scandal,


is a deplorable amount of mismanagement,
pickering and malfeasance in the post
office department. Facts are coming out
which are causing the public to lose much
Of the confidence it has had in this great
business department of the government.
1t has long been known that the postal
service costs the country much more than
it would cost a corporation, but it has
always been pointed to as proof that
g regular business can be well and sue
cessfully managed by government. But
now we are finding out that the pet model
is full OF flaws, and that it is ill-managed.
: The postoffice scandals are likely#to chill
ership extremists If government cannot
succeed with the postof1ce, why load it
up with railroads, mines and telegraphs,
SO long as we are able to get satisfactory
service from companies or individuals?
So; too, with municipal ownership. Why
should municipal business be managed any
better than national business? The truth
is that we need a little higher grade of
civilization before we can expect govern
ment to attend to business either as ex-
peditiously, as efficiently or as econom-
ically as private business organizations.
The great check on waste and malversation
and sloth in private business is that there Is
always some one looking for profit, and if
profits don't materialize the business will
be thoroly overhauled. 1t is true that
some Of our modern corporations are be-
coming so vast that they are in danger
of having the same shortcomings that
business by the government has, but cor
porations will not long be able to endure
under conditions that do not greatly inter-
fere with a business that is kept up by
the governments revenues whether it
pays or not. Until private gain is less
of a motive in life than it is now, the
private business organization as such will
always be superior to the government.
| It. does not follow that we should at
once turn the postoffice over to private
corporation. Even if the extravagance
as they are, the people would still insist
on a government mail service But the
facts now coming out about the postofhce
should warn us to be slow about going
into public ownership. Some public busi-
nesses there are that ought to be man
aged by government'r regardless of the fis-
cal aspect of the matter; but it is easy
| to go on from one step to another. Eng
land and Scotland have gone much far
ther in public ownership than the United
States, and there is strong feeling there
that they have too far encroached on the
domain of private business.
AS the numbers OF the public services
undertaken increase, it is remarked that
their efficiency decreases. The field for
private effort is restricted, and there is
created a numerous official caste who
manage to perpetuate themselves in power
and become ruling class. When a city
operates the water, lighting, transporta-
tion, garbage and other services, the num-
II ber of permanent public officials and EN-
ployes becomes very great, for it would
be absurd to leave such a pay roll open
to the spoilsmen. But all Of these en-
! ployes are voters, and they have q tre-
mendous influence on municipal policy,
especially as it affects them.
i
Fairness, however, compels the admission
that the public service corporations as
we know them in America are often a
malign agency for the corruption Of public
officials and the abuse Of public authority,
The history of boodling in American cities
cannot be written without also writing
that Of the corporations. If these serv-
Iices were performed by the public fol
itself, there would be no buyers Of priv
|ileges and no SELLERS because there woule
he nothing to vend.
i Yet, at the present time in America
broadly speaking, it were better for u!
| to confne our energies to discirlining
curbing and regulating the public servict
lcorporations, rather than to take over thei
business. /.
The general public win be apt TO agre'
with the opinion OF Rev. Theodore Sedg
| wick Of st. Paul, that q, change in the nam
OF the Protestant Episcopal church will
be received with rfdieule. Why.sso mucl
fuss over name? The general publ
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