Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-12-13
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER Is, 1905
THE GAZETTE REJolNDER,

III 1AS Wei W oAAO ANAoONE4 OS~A~
torial of the preceding week the
Gazette produced very neat
essay on the roller skating craze.
We always desire to give due
credit to our contemporaries,
and we feel called on to remark
that this was really the best
roller skating editorial we ever
read. 1t gives the history of the
''Rise and Fall of the Roller
Skates'' in compact form; the
language is elegant without being
too deep for the ordinary reader;
even the most carping critic can
find no fault with its grammatical
construction.
But the TRIBUNE did not dis.
cuss roller skating in that edi-
torial. We spoke of the causes
of the greenback movement and
the "silver craze'' and pointed
out that they were caused by
currency contraction that pro-
duced hard times, and that they
did not subside until legislation
or natural canSaS had in a meas.
ure provided for an increase OF
the money volume. In the popu.
list platform the fundamental
idea in regard to money is the
quantitative theory-that con-
traction causes fall in prices
and consequently hard times,
while an expansion causes rising
prices and good times. The
latter may not always be enjoyed
to the full extent by the common
people because trusts and com
bines grab too much of the in
crease in national wealth. In
1896 the cumulative theory of
money was ridiculed by the re-
publicans and the great finan-
ciers. But at present it is open.
ly acknowledged to be the truth,
and no roller skate editorial can
knock it over. m
Whether the credit for the in
crease in gold production shall
be given to nature or Providence
or man makes no difference in
the result. The Gazette wants
to give the credit to man; very
we'll let it go at that. It does
not alter the fact that the money
volume received a great increase,
and that business thereby re.
ceived a wonderful impetus.
The Gazette sees in the mum.
cipal ownership idea is sfour
ifths socialism and one fifth
populism. Wrong as usual. Popu'
ism demands government own.
ership Of public utilities that can
easily be monopolized; socialism
demands government ownership
of everything. The municipal
ownership idea that is so promi.
nent now does not call for muni.
cipal ownership of homes, OF
mercantile establishments, fac.
tories, etc. It de mands only the
public ownership of street car
lines, water and lighting plant,
and telephone lines, because
those are of vital interest to all
the people and are natural mono.
poles. There can be no compe.
tition in these lines without great
waste. A few men ought not to
have the right to tax the people
for the necessities of life. Such
things should be furnished to the
people at cost. That is the popu.
listic idea and the idea of the
municipal ownership movement.
If the Gazette editor were posted
on the socialist movement he
would know that the mostpromi:
nent organ, of the socialists is
opposed to municipal ownership
because it is proposed to pay the
corporations the actual value OF
the plants to be taken. The
average socialis twants the whole
hog or nothing No city could
buy these public utilities without
issuing bonds, and the socialist
wants no bondholding class in
their community. ID. :. 3 4. c.#... ].
II the municipal ownership
idea is socialism then the Gazette
editor is a socialist; he uses water
from 9 plant owned and run BY
the municipality, and light from