The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-01-26


whether he is socialist or not.
In the first place all socialists agree
that the wage system should be abol-
ished. No man should receive wages.
That proposition, if enacted into law,
would completely change the whole or
ganization Of society. Under 1t there
could be no national, state or city
ownership of railroads, telegraphs, tel
ephones, water works, street car lines,
gas electricity or the public ownership
OF any OF the Stiffnsss -suhich populists
have always advocated. 1t necessarily
follows that populist cannot be a
socialist and to call him one is a SLAM
der. The public ownership of things
would necessarily require employees
who should be paid wages"
Socialists denounce all forms OF COM
petition. One can speak correctly of the
socialism of the trusts, for they are or
ganized to destroy competition, but to
speak Of the socialism of populism is a
contradiction in terms. Populists say
that the trusts should be destroyed for
the very reason that they have de-
stroyed competition. Populists say
that all the evils that have grown up
during the last quarter Of q century
have resulted from the destruction of
competition. The Standard Oil COM
pany destroyed competition, the meat
trust has destroyed competition, the
paper trust has destroyed competition.
These trusts have all been working
along socialistic lines in that matter
and the greatest evils have resulted.
Populists want competition restored.
There again populists are in direct an
tagonism with socialism.
Socialists declare that but one thing
enters into the production of wealth.
They say lnsss ..shcr creates all wealth.
Populists say that labor alone is ssass
less and could produce but little or
any wealth. That in the production of
wealth there must enter at least three
things-labor, capital and land, Gland
being used in it's accepted sense in
economics). Populists believe with
Lincoln that labor was first and, de-
serves the first consideration, that is,
the dollar and the man, but man al
ways before the dollar.
Socialists believe in the common
ownership of everything. Their phrase,
which is used by all their standard
writer's, is: "The collective ownership
of all means of production and dis
tribution.'
Populists absolutely deny that prop
osition They claim that there are some
things that should be collectively
owned and some things that must be
private and individual property. The
distinction between what should be
publicly owned, populists make SO plain
that no man can fail to understand
where the dividing line always is.
There is principle by reference to
which every case that arises can be
instantly deciced. Ever since society
was organized some things have al
ways, and by every people, been pub
iicly owned, among which have been
the public highways. But where shall
public ownership end and private own
ership begin? The populist says that
everything should be publicly owned
where competition is impossible and
end right there. There can be no such |
thing as competition with railroad, a
street car line, water supply for
city and some other things. One line
of tracks along city street is all that
can be placed there. The right to
occupy that part of the street is mo-
nopoly. In that case and in all other
cases like it, the collective ownership
is the only reasonable, safe and SEN
sible thing Such a policy has been al