The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-04-29
WANTED: SOME DEFINITIONS.

ilege that is abhorred of today. Notwitllsand-
ing the great hue and cry over the ownership OF
public utilities the sound sense of the American
public is not prepared to crush private enterprise.
! 1t were suicidal to discourage private initiative
1t is the office of well ordered government not to
! crush but to protect and encourage private enter
| prise. The day is far distant when the government
| is going to enter on the role of manufacturer or
merchant The advocates of the doctrine of in
dvdual energy are not all to theories the
while triumphant in Chicago"
After reading the above editorial III the Catholic
Transcript we sorely perplexed in mind
Prone tosbail the Inauguration of the public owner
ship of public utilities as a much-desred economic
readjustment-a reform measure destined to secure
to the toiling and producing of the country
just and equitable share of the fruits of their
toll than has been their need under the present la
mentabe conditions, the assurance that the pro-
posed system involved the entire abrogation of
private initiative came as a surprise and shock
to our intellect.
Above all, this confusion of thought forcibly
suggested the need of more accurate definitions
bearing upon public ownership" than was, at the
time, at our command. Long and earnestly we pom
dered the problem but satisfactory solution pre-
scented itself to the mind The conviction was
forced upon us that upon one more competent must
devolvc the task of drawing the line of demarkation
shat divides public utilities and the legitimate
field of the manufacturer or merchant"
In the midst of our perplexed nominations, the
words of Mayor Dunno that came to us, seemed
strikingly providential:
EEEvarv DrivIe0a that carries with II he norma
nent of public property should be owned and
exercised by the public"
Is not this 4 most admirable elueidation of the
problem!
As this proposed reform is one that the Ameri
can public will be called upon i'll the not remote
future, to either sanction repudiate at the polls
1t is of the utmost Importance that its scope should
be clearly defined in the minds of the people.
Mayor Dunno is acknowledged to be the foremost
authority in America this question: hence his
succinet and lucid definition of what constitutes
public utility will doubt be accepted as final,
conclusive and satisfactory
In the light of this very satisfactory eucidation
of this erstwhile vexed problem it may be taken for
granted that the editor above quoted will no longer
feel disposed to combat the proposed reform on the
with private initiative and enterprise.
Such a result would, undeniably, be most re-
gFettabe. Preserving, however, this very essential
and very desirable incentive to individual effort
which is the law of progress and individual growth
the proposed reform, are abidingly convinced, /
would operate to the almost inealeuable advantage
-pecunary, moral and spiritual-of human So
eiety
The fact that our present system is so inexor-
ably subversve of all Christian ideals-inasmuch as
it is the prolific and unconquerabe breeder of cor
ruptien III the form of wholesale and almost per-
ennial bribery, perjury and kindred crimes and
Tices the pricipal and most important reason
Why this proposed reform should be accorded the
advocacy of the religious press 1t is safe to as
ume that this sautary and benefcent reform will
meet with the opposition of a very few-if any
II our Catholic journalists.
Now that we are afforded distinctive defni
ion of public ownership" it is to be regretted
hat we are not equally fortunate in reference to
he term Socialism"
striking Illustration of the confusion of
bought due to the ambiguity that attaches to this
erm is afforded by the tenor of recent editorial
n the Catholic Citizen of Milwaukee mputing to
1ayor Dunno the advocacy of socialistic princi-
les and that gentleman's categorical denial that he
5 Socialist, and that public ownership implies
ven state socialism.
In the editorial just alluded to we are taken TO
ask, in mildly derisive tone, for presuminr to
the people of the country because
layor DUNES election could not be said to be a
ctory for the revolutionary Socialists" Now. this
arucular term, we are led to believe, has very
reclse and well understood significance Said the
1ltor OF Socialistic organ in conversation only
few days since: eve do not object to being
yled revolutionary Socialists Thoroughly CON
need that capitalism' cannot be downed by anv
the Utopian methods advocated by various Wis
nary schools of wouldbe reformers, we propose
lnaugurate physical revolution just as soon as I
e are thoroughly organized"
we are disposed to graciously forgive the editor
the Citizen for his structures upon our utter
ices, although he misquoted US in the sentence he
lbshed' and then magnamimously . pronounced
fuly unctious"
III Is however, of the utmost Importance that we
the Catholic press, arrive at some agreement as {
the true Significance Of +bo +o--., | .