The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-03
IS
NOW A SOCIALIST
Letter Of Resignation of Chicago
Commissioner of Public Works
to Mayor Dunno.
HIS IDEAS ARE ENLARGING
NO LONGER SATISFIED WITH
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.

Chicago. March Commissioners OF
Public Works Joseph Medin Patterson has
rendered his resignation to Mayor Dunno.
The resignation was sent by Mr.. Patter-
son to Mayor Dunno Wednesday Nothing
however, until a copy mailed by Mr. Pat
terson at Washington was received by
the city press association here
The letter written by Mr.. Patterson to
Mayor Dunno is in part as follows:
Views Not Changed.
cit was through a common belief in
the cause of municipal ownership of nu-
nicipal utilities that l first became &C
quainted with you, and in this letter Of
resignation / desire to express publicly
just how my views on this subject have
changed. They have not diminished
They have enlarged I used to believe
that many Of the ills under which the
nation suffers and by which it is threat
ened, would be prevented or avoided by
the general Inauguration OF public own
ership of public utilities. But my ex-
perience in the department of public
works has convinced me that this policy
would not be even one-fourth Of the way
sufficient"
Worldwide Necessity.
Mr.. Patterson then cites the cases Of
Great Britain and Germany In the for
mer country, he declares, where munich
pal trading has been successfully deyel-
oped, the problem Of the unemployed is
becoming OF tremendous intensity. In
Germany where government ownership Of
railroads has been inaugurated and mu-
nicipal ownership Of public utilities is
paramount the poor are growing poorer
and the rich are growing richer, with an
acceleration hardly less than that so evil
dent in the United Sattes.
He then calls the attention OF the
mayor Of two instances in this city where
Low 90 ion hoyr Of .
says to override the law. The letter con-
cludes as follows:
Pure Socialism.
The universal ballot gives every male
citizen an equal political opportunity
Common ownership Of all the means Of
production and distribution would give
everybody an equal chance at music: art
sport, study, recreation, travel, self-re-
spect and the respect OF others. for one
cannot see why these things should be
concentrated more and more in the hands
of a few. I believe that the ownership
from which money springs should pc
vested in the whole community. In other
words, as 1 understand il, 1 am a So
ciaIist- I have hardly read a book on
Socialism, but that which have just
enunciated believe IN general to be their
theory. I fit be their theory, l am a
Socialist You will find, and other ad-
vanced liberals and radicals who believe
as you do will soon find that you are
ures when you stop short OF Socialism"
Mayor Dunne's Reply.
Mayor Dunno at once wrote Mr.. Patter-
son, accepting his resignation, and prom
ising TO reply TO his letter in the near fu-
ture-
4 have accepted the resignation of Mr..
Patterson with sincere regrets, said the
mayor. He says he has resigned because
he is a Socialist. I do not think that it
was necessary for him to resign. Be
cause he cannot accomplish everything
the Socialists want accomplished he has
evidently become diSheartened-