The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-02-15
OWNERSHIP
 BY ATTORNEY WALLACE
WELL KNOWN REFORMER AT
 FOY AUDITORIUM.

Makes Many Strong Claims in Favor of
 Scheme and Quotes Extensively from
 Speeches of Farmers, Politicians and
 Reformers.
 Under the auspices of the New Eng land Democratic Progressive league, Attorney George M. Wallace last night addressed a good-sized audience at the Foy auditorium. Mir. Wallace's theme was Public Ownership, Private Oper- ation and Their Relation to the Great Political Issues of the Day" MT. Wal lace was very exhaustive in his ad- dress, and made many convincing ar- guments in favor of his theories. He quoted in support of his ideas from such men as WilMaim Ewart Gladstone, President Roosevelt, Luther, Froude, Henry George, John Stuart Mills, Tol- stoi, Thomas Jefferson, William Jer- LullSS bTydH d1Fu OLnoTSs
 He spoke in part as follows:
 From the time of the Pilgrims for 250 years we progressed toward the pole star of democracy, then suddenly In the last forty years we have turn ed and are making toward absolutism, making 1t necessary to crowd the negro back into slavery in a determination to have a bottom layer on which the pyra- mid may rest. All arrangements for ex- plotting the people under the form of Jaw look to the same basal goal, re- gardless of race, color or previous con- dition:
 What caused the turn? Special priv ilege. And why it's sudden development in the last forty years? In that time all free land and natural opportunities have been seized upon, and expending population has resulted in landlords and landless men, Some reformers, with income and inheritance taxes, would pare down overgrown fortunes a bit, while leaving untouched conditions that produce them.
 Others in the initiative, referendum, recall, and direct primary would put the people in the saddle where they would compass their own reforms. But in public ownership we have leading down to serious work It looks to the recovery to the people of a great so- cial asset-street franchises and rights of way
 Luther at first never inteded to leave the mother church, but he did The Puritans intended not to become sep aratists and abandon the Oh lrch of England, but they did The republic ans in 61 denied that they aimed at abolition, but abolition they accom- plished. So, municipal ownership is on the skirmish line of a great battle it does not yet fully intend and which will bring change as lnomentous as the fall of the Roman republic, the fall of feudalism. and that wrought by the French Revolution.
 Public ownership. fight to rescue the streets from privilege, will speed fly become q struggle for all the social assets, including land, water and ma tural water powers, rights of way and street franchises, coal, iron, oil and all the natural resources.
 Wherever special privilege claimed to own God, religious rebellion has broken its back with freedom of con- science as its flower. Then privilege seized the state, claimed to own gov ernment and democracy broke its hold, with equality before the law for fruits. Now it claims to own not God or the state, but the earth, and socialism (not the spurious popular article of the day) must destroy 1t and let in equality of opportunity.
 My first thesis, then, is that society should own the social assets That cit ies should own their streets and street franchises, and my reasons are three:
 First-Theoretic Democracy connot continueto exist on an absolutism basis. With few the masters of all they survey the rest become dependent, and there is an end of equality.
 Second Bnlphiracle. Read Alfred Russell Wallace's "The Naturalization of Land" and behold the terrible sims that may be wrought in the name of private ownership of earth Note that it ruined the Roman republic, brought on the French Revolution, impoverish- ed Ireland, placed great Russia help- less before Japan, and is destroying English stamina before our eyes.