The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-11-29


tends to work i'll in the distribution
of wealth. piling UP riches in too few
hands. Unless there Is oversight or
regulation, the prices Of goods to
consumers will, other conditions be-
ing the same In the two cases, range
higher If production occurs under mo-
nopoly than If 1t occurs under COM
petition. The excess naturally goes
into the pockets of syndicate stock
holders at the expense Of consumers.
If all consumers were at the same
time syndicate stockholders and all
syndicates equally strong. the losses
would Offset each other; but as
great many consumers can not COM
bine. losses due to the higher prices
enforced by syndicatss are not all
thus offset, but the portion of them
falling upon unsyndicated consumers
has to be permanently borne by such,
so that those higher prices set up
special tendency. unknown before
trusts came. to enrich one class and
to impoverish another.
AMERICANS GENERALLY ARE
NOT GOING TO ACCEPT RADICAL
SOCIALISTS REMEDY FOR THE
ABOVE ABUSES, BUT THE
GROWTH OF THE sOCIALISTIC
VOTE WILL, 1T is HOPED. TEACH
us TO USE BOLDLY THE MEANS
NOW IN HANDS NOT RADICAL
AT ALL FOR THE RETIREMENT
OF CONDITIONS WHICH ALL
ALIKE DEPLORE, AND FOR THE
UTILIZATION. so FAR AS POSI-
BILE, ON BEHALF OF THE PUB.
Lie, OF THOSE ECONOMIES AND
PROFITS ARISING FROM MASSED
INDUSTRY AND CENTRALIZED
CONTROL. WHICH THE TRUSTS
HAVE PROVED TO BE so REAL
AND EFFICACIOUs.
We should certainly wish the pub
lie lower to extend it's industrial
function, when necessary. Now and
then someone still denounces as dam
gerous, regardless of place or cir
cumstance, such a measure as the
municipal ownership Of street rail-
ways. 1t is hard to see why this is
more undesirable than the owning of
schools or of water or gas works by
cities. There is nothing alarming
either in the pr/posal that govern
ment should purchase and work
mines. Public ownership of mines,
as of railways, is in continental Eu-
rope the regular thing. Government
will of course in time take over a
great many of the productive agen-
cies now in private hands. 1t might
go very long way in this without
approaching dangerous socialism. So
cialism of that sort would not be
reached until the whole production
of wealth babe fair to pass into the
states hands and Individual action
to disappear from industry.
Probably a majority of those call
ing themselves socialists are so only
in the sense that they wish, as above.
more industrial action and supervis-
ion by the public power. so-called
Fabian socialists are no threat.
What Is unfortunate In Fabianism Is
that 1t seems to look upon state ac-
tivity as the normal order, to be de-
parted from only when personal in
urge just the reverse-that individu-
alism ought to be the standing pre-
sumption, to be resolutely trenched
on when 1t fails, provided public
functioning is certain to do better,
but always to be preserved and acted
upon as the normal.
The last election offered voters who
felt deeply the injustice of present
industry-who believed the redress
of this to be the paramount issue
now before the American people
more important far than imperialism,
tariff or money. no means of uttering
said convictions at the polls but to
vote tho socialist ticket. If Mr..
Roosevelt showed some willingness
to adopt remedial measures. his party
did not, and the democratic party,
as led and inspired, still less 1t
BODIES i'll for our social peace that
under existing auspices the burdened
classes have no part or lot in either
of our great political organizations.
PUT IT DOWN. THEREFORE,, AS
ANOTHER LESSON OF THE So
CIALIST VOTE. THAT ONE OF
OUR TWO GREAT PARTIES
NATURALLY THE DEMOCRATIC
OUGHT TO DEVELOP A PRO-
NOUNCED SOCIAL RADICALISM.
AS IT is, THE PARTIES ARE OF
PRECISELY THE SAME COLOR
STRAWBERRY AND CRUSHED
STRAWBERRY; NOTHING SERI-
OUSLY IMPORTANT DIVIDES
THEM. 1T SEEMS TO ME AT
ONCE DESIRABLE AND INEvI-
TABLE THAT THE DEMOCRACY
SHALL TAKE A POSITION WHERE
IT'S SAILS WILL CATCH ALL THE
RATIONAL WINDS WHICH So
CIALISTS AND POPITLISTS BLOW.
ELSE. SOCIALISM OF THE THOR
OUGH-GOING TYPE WILL, AT
LEAST IN LOCALITIES, PREVAIL
AND BECOME A BLIGHT WHICH
ALL PATRIOTS WOULD DE-
DIT ODE