The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1907-01-18
MUNICIPAL
"A OWNERSHIP
Lengthy tffusion on the Subject
"a by f. 7. r. frIpp
MUST ELIMINATE GRAFT
Writer Proposes to do This by Substi-
tuting Socialism for the Existing
Political Parties.
EDITOR TRIBUNE:

In replying to the article "A menace
to cities" it is noteworthy that Prof.
SFessenden fails to name any of the
"many cities" alleged to have made
failures in municipal ownership. The
writer at first thought he wrote on the
authority of false reporters sent to
Europe for that very purpose, to dis
courage the move toward public owner
uhip in this country; but articles since
appearing in THE TRIBUNE show plainly
that American cities are intended, and
that it is the policy of the Press Asso-
citation, now flooding the land with such
literature in theinterest Of corporations
the railroads in particular, to arrest the
trend toward their public ownership,
striking first ind, ectly through NUM-
Qualities. When President Roosevelt
told railroad magnates that that If
they did not do something give lower
rates and better service the Socialists
IN 1908 could overwhelmn u.s. That
view might seem to be a gross
exaggeraton, but the President knew
very we'll that his party. which has
favored the trusts (such as they are
and not as they ought to be- would be
held responsible for their expressions,
mainly the railroads, as they constitute
the greatest trust of all, and that when
the public becomes thoroughly aroused,
would sweep out of power the party
responsible for their wrongs, and that
It would be done through party adj
vocating public ownership. Well, the
President did succeed, with his big
stick over congress, to get rate-bill
such as it was; and the awakening OF
public sentiment by Upton Sinclair's
book 1.-THE Jungle" the meat trust
got regulated(?) and the Food-bill acted
on, after having been pigeoned-holed
at many previous sessions. Yet after
all, as clearly shown by Thomas Lawson
in Everybodys Magazine of November,
1905, that all these interests are still
doing business in the same old way,
and snap their fingers at the acts OF
Congress and why? Because the
party must serve it's masters. While
leading republicans look naturally to
tho Socialists as their future antagon-
iats on these lines, yet many thousands
Of treat financier-reformers admirers
Wtl be looking anxiously for Lawson's
my Remedy" when the time comes
"a live it out. Yet from slight init
nation of its nature it is seen, whether
consciously or unwittingly, he is stand
ing on one at least of the fundamentals
Of Socialism.
We Socialists have admitted, Mr..
Editor, that the easy possibility and
certainty of graft in public works,
render the more costly unadvisible in
Ii the United States, yet that is not
the chief obstacle; there is one greater
tim that lying behind it; and that is
III apathy of the public. Which
: apokhy lies in feeling that its got to
!. b 10; it can't be helped! And in add
1 tioa to that, with determination to make
|tk6s best of it, spirit of greed also
whIch ncites the ambitious to support
4 cSstem that is crushing them, indulg-
Bthe hope of some day getting to the
ca round of the ladder. Thus the old
on Inc keeps on putting and tugging,
im1elled by the incentive Of large
. prints. until some day in the near fu-
TUE the old machine will burst, when
I the trust magnates see their time has
y ooune to absorb all the little businesses
/. Of the country, and make these little
y abltalists, clerks, etc., at wages die
tated to them. Then, if not before
thch, the people will revolt at the
b3Ilot box,-if then they have the
\ 119ot. Let us take the optimistic
vj1k, and say the people will revolt be-
to- their right of franchise is de-
{ StIbyed. Then good bye to graft! For
Were a peoples spirit is aroused to
tie their own affairs into their own
;1dAds it is death to graft. This Is
1llb trated in the cities of England ir
. )ch municipal ownership has beer