Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1905-03-04

diNidual effort made so lamentablc
failure as in Great Britain. do not
mean fuilurc in Il dividend paying
sense, but a failure To keep anywhere
near abreast of the mechanical. inven-
tive and engineering progress of the
age. The rapid development of ma
Chin"ry and of processes had the same
effect In England as elsewhere VIZ. the
formation of large corporations, some
of which secured monupolIStic control
In various fields. Gas plants water
works and street railways were thus
constructed and operated. At the in
ception Of these enterprises there was
no demand for public ownership. 1t
was not until Travelled Englishmen de
clared that such properties were far
below the standard of efficiency and
economy established in other countries
that there was Il Clamor for improved
service and reduced rates.
Then II was that the inertia of the
English and Scottish capitalists reveal
cd itself. These placid men could see
no reason why they should change
They smiled ut the assertion that there
" ~ any lllilS W I'ttt IL IIDln Nldl lluu
developed in the United States and in
other countries which had II manIn for
tearing down old things and erecting
new ones In their places. George Fran
els Train had landed in England and
performed the miracle OF introducing
horse cars, or "tramwayS," as they
term them Was ii not enough to
adopt one American device without at
tempting to follow the hazardous cx-
pcrimcntS of cable cars and electrical
traction? They would not listen to any
demand for modern methods.
In taking this attitude they were In
exact accord with other property own
erS whose money was invested in enter
priScS not so public in their nature The
landlord whose buildings were devoted
to offices did not tear them down and
erect new ones when reminded that
New York, Chicago and scores of
American cities hNd rcvolutionized
that type of architecture The dcns
off Fleet street and the Strand We're
good enough for Dombcy 4 Son, and
the Squalid quarters of the Cheshire
Cheese served to meet the demands Of
Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith.
Why tear them down in imitation of Il
nation which was wocful,y lacking in
antiquities and traditions! Some of
the hotels yielded to Il popular demand
for elevators, so they put them i'll and
called them lifts" but absolutely re
fused to consider any such wild eyed
scheme aS system OF plumbing which
would provide hot ana cold water in
rooms occupied by their guests Nor is
there n hotel In Great Britain which
have seen or heard of that has adopted
this modern Improvement"
With these and II thousand other ex-
ampleS to fortity his course, it IS small
wonder that the English investor in
street railways, gaS plants and similar
quasi public enterprises declined to
yield to the growing demand for bet
ter service. He was equally deaf to the
representatives of private manufacture
erS who urged that by the introduction
of electricity and other innovations"
an increased efficiency could be OBJ
taincd which would show in increased
dividends. He would not listen to
word of it. That which had been good
enough for his father was good enough
for him.
Such wHs the attitude OF the private
capitalist In Great Britain when the
public ownership movement had its
birth, and such is his attitude at the
present moment. He does not believe
i'll any novelty not of his own inven-
ton, and he has neither the taste nor
the talent for invention. lie therefore
stood still. and the public ran over him.
| am unable to find any record that the
Engli 4 capitalist offered any decided
opposition to this tragedy. Certainly he
did not EcCOmc excited over It, That
simply waited and watched the process
sion pass. Public ownership became a
recognized institution without his sane
tion, assent. dissent, comment or ex-
citement.
England has adopted public owner
ship for the simple reason that private
capitalists refused to properly manage
private mOnopoicS. There was no sen
tlment about it. There was no appeal
- high economic ideals. There was no
academic discussion. 1t did not even
form a partisan Issue and was rarely a
plank in local platform.
And despite all this there has been
accomplished one of the most tremen-
dOus Industrial and economic revolu-
tons since the birth of modern civili-
Zaton.