The Irish standard., 1905-04-22
PROMOTERS OF SOCIALISM.

The real promoters of Socialism in
this country are the fellows who are
engaged in the occupation of franchise
grabbing in the large cities of the
country, and who as side issue, en-.
gage in the gentle past-time of con-
trolling city councils and state legisla-
lures. They are the real promoters of
Socialism that are doing more every
year toward introducing that danger
GUS cult into American politics than
all the curb-stone speakers and backs
room orators of Socialism have accom-
plished in a thousand years. Why is
it today that city the size of Chicago
should turn away from system which
has been in vogue ever since the foun-
ding of the city to system of mu-
nicipal ownership of it's street rail-
ways. Every city in this country of
any Importance has started out and
still has system of transportation
owned and operated by private corpor
ations. Until a few years ago the
question of transportation and lighting
and like utilities were not important
ones in our municipal affairs. What
has made them Important? We have
had large cities in this country for
over a hundred years. These ques-
tions have become important because
the people realize that the private cor
porations engaged in operating the
street railway systems, the lighting
plants, the telephone companies, are
not only engaged in running these con-
Germs but they are actually engaged
in running the affairs of the entire
city in which they may be located. In
most cities there were until a few
years ago rival transportation COM
panies engaged in the operation of
street car companies. Within the last
few years all this has been changed.
There has been concentration so
that certain magnates not only own
all the franchises of one city but some
of them control many cities. And,
with this control they have found it
! necessary or at least profitable to ac-
Quire the title to and the possession of
the city halls of the different cities.
! Against this tyranny the people of the
worst affected cities have been for
some little time looking for relief. In
their distress they have turned to the
public ownership and operation of the
public service utilities. Against this
movement on the part of the people the
magnates are now crying out that it is
a piece of Socialism. That the whole
thing is visionary, impracticable and
vicious. The people who today are
voting in different cities throughout
the country in favor of municipal own
ership are not Socialists. They do not
belong to that class of people mostly
foreign who maintain an organization
in which the tenets of the old world
Socialism are preached and taught.
The people who are voting for munich
pal ownership are those who have
/ Doeu IOTC6u luSOluuldllIS " ldhC up
with that issue as a means of afford.
ing some relief against dishonesty in
municipal politics. 1t will be found
in every city where there is a senti
ment in favor of municipal ownership
that that sentiment has been pro
NOTED. in fact the seed has been sown
. by the magnates of monopoly. They
have forced upon the people the con
viction that private corporations en-
gagged in performing public services
: are always engaged in the bribing o.
public officials. They have given hun
dreds Of thousands Of illustrations o.
: their belief that corruption Of publ.
officials is essential to their success
, They have bribed legislatures, turned
} public officers from the course of hon
/ esty and strewn their paths OF prog
: ress with indisputable evidence tina
7 monopoly and Doodle 60 hand in hand
1t is idle for such people to try ant