The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-02-09


ownership of natural monopoIies such
as railroads and things of that charac-
| ter. Roosevelt is driven into socialism.
| II the principle of the government own
lership of monopolies is discarded, there
| is no other landing place than social
ism. In his speech in Philadelphia the
other day, President Roosevelt said:
The great development of industrial
ism means that there must be amin
tcrease in the supervision exercised by
the government over business enter
prises.
| That statement is straight, indebted
MARKHAM socialism and Will be so rec
ognized by any socialist. In fact, So
cialist brought that statement to the
notice of the editor of The lndepen-
dent with the claim that economic
force was driving this nation to social
ism In an irresistible manner. That
socialist was in high spirits over the
fact that the president OF the United
States was forced r"by the economic
|enyironment, that is, the prevailing
mode Of producticn, to adopt one OF
the fundamental principles OF social
ism
The position taken by the president,
The Independent utterly repudiates. 1t
declares that any supervision exercised
by the government over any private
business enterprises whatever, further
than now provided in the already es-
tablished laws which protect property
and enforce contracts, is usurpation
and trespass upon the rights OF SOW
ereign citizens. The government has
nc right to tell any man what he snail
charge for goods or services. When it
does that, it enters ON a course that
saps the very foundations of liberty.
1t is socialism in rs fundamental form.
That doctrine is more destructive
than the thing that it proposes to SUI
persede, as ruinous as that has been.
The policy that has been followed
heretofore was 70 delegate to private
parties part of the sovereignty of gov
eminent. Now instead of withdrawing
that delegated power of eminent do
main, it proposes that the government
enter fields of private affairs and di-
rect the business OF private individuals.
That is socialism.
What the populists propose is that
the government resume it's rightful
authority, forbid the delegation to in
dividuals of the Lower to tax, through
the control of the highways and means
of communication. Those are govern
ment functions, AMI private individuals
can not exercise them without dele
gated authority from the government.
Let the government own the railroads
and all other natural monopolies where
competition is impossible, and there
will be no need Of this presidential So
|cialism.
The private ownership of railroads,
telegraphs and telephones under So
called government control, can not be
distinguished from the socialist idea OF
state control under socialism. where
all sorts of business is. directed and
controlled by the state. The prin-
ciple is exactly the same. y
The peoples party would leave every
man to conduct his private business,
whether alone, in co-paitnerships on.
cooperative capacity, as he pleased as
long as he conformed TO the laws pre-
serving property rights, did not de-
ceive, Or obtain money or property by
false pretenses, o. do any OF the other
things now prohibited by law. That
policy is the concensus Of the wisdom
of the ages. Let every one be free
free to conduct his own business as
long as he does not trespass on the
equal rights of others.