Evening star., 1908-01-21
WAVE OF SOCIALISM
England Going Through an In
teresting Experience.
POLITICIANS ARE UPSET
Party Lines Broken Over Radical
Propositions.
DISASTROUS EXPERIMENTS
Costly Attempts at Municipal Man
agement-Proposed old-Age
Pensions.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

written for The Star and the CHICAGO Record
Herald.
The British parliament at its approa CHI
ing session will find problems for solution
that are much more perplexing and
serious than those which puzzle the Amer
lean Congress. Both of the great political
parties are seriously demoralizad and
there does not seem to be any issue upon
"hich they can form a realignment States
socialism and the tariff are the most ac-
i've issues, and the situation is growing
more and more intricate and interesting.
me next campaign In England will COM
mand worldwide attention
Old party lines are being broken upon
uii1erences among leaders over issues like
the tariff and the radical propositions that
the socialists have advanced, and both
iioerais and unionists are yielding to the
pressure. Both machines are in a state
OF generalization and are becoming more
SO. The people who cali themselves So
cla.sts are comparatively few. The name
IS not popular, but almost everybody is
social reformer'' The trade union
ists who include IS per cent of the work
insmen, are also "social reformers," al
though they are taking very radical
grounds in favor of municipal ownership,
national and municipal aid to individuals,
ana nave already forced through parlia-
ment several radical measures that have
been suggested and advocated by ac-
knowledged socialists The opposition to
these measures cry Socialism in order
TO defeat them. but such demonstrations
nave no effect. Both of the old parties
nave been compelled to accept the same
measures Of state socialism, although
they differ as to details.
Social REFORM" as the English insist
upon calling it, what is known as social
ism in Germany and elsewhere, has been
spreading like a prairie fire on non-po-
lltical lines. The propaganda has been
directed from headquarters in London
with great skill and energy. The socialist
managers have shown much greater zeal
REFORM" as they call the scheme for a
protective tariff Socialism has been
preached in churches. schoolhouses, trade
union halls. open-air meetings and at
every possible place and on every possi-
Bile occasion 1t is said that an average
of 1,5O0 meetings are held every week
throughout the United Kingdom, and that
more than 1000 non-political organiza-
tions have been formed within the year
1907.
City Owned Steamboats,.
At the recent elections in London the
mistakes and folly and extravaganza of
municipal ownership were so thoroughly
exposed that the progressive party met
with an overwhelming defeat, and in sew
eral places the advocates of municipal
ownership who have been in control of
county and city councils were also over
thrown. Singular to relate, the avowed
socialists who advocate the theories upon
which these municipal undertakings have
been based, denounced and ridiculed them
as vehemently as their opponents. and ex-
planned that their failure was due to the
fact that the experiment had been con-
Quoted by amateurs on false and imprac-
ticable lines.
The most conspicuous failure in this
direction was the "city steamboats, on
the Thames. The socialists who control
the London county council built thirty-six
passenger boats at a cost Of a million and
a half OF dollars, and put them on the
river to compete with well-established
private lines. They have been running
about two years, and deficit In the earn
ings to the amount Of more than half
million dollars has been made good by a
draft on the public treasury. The auditors
have shown that the cheap rates of fare
which were adopted for the benefit OF the
working classes have caused an average
loss Of AZ cents for every passenger car
underbid the other steamers. the bus
lines and the underground railroad The
service has been stopped, the boats are
tied up and will be sold at auction. No
one DeNeVeS lndL the DOdtS Will vi iH6
more than one-third Of the amount paid
for them which will make the cost to
the taxpayers of this experiment In
municipal ownership about million and
a half of dollars.
The street car lines which are also
owned by the city, but are nearly all
leased to private operators on percent
age basis, are paying a good profit. And
that fact only goes to prove that gov
ernment cannot conduct a business OF
that sort SO economically as private in
dividual.
Other Costly Experiments.
This was also illustrated In a striking
manner by the attempts of the county
council and several of the parishes OF
London to furnish their own teams. I'm
til two or three years ago all of the haul
ing required by the municipal government
was done by contract. but the socialists.
believing that 1t could be done better and
cheaper by the municipal authorities,
bought several thousand first-class horses
and several thousand new carts, erected
stables in various parts Of London. on
modern hygienic plans. and began work
After two years experience 1t has been
discovered that the cost of doing the
work has been more than double the for
mer contract prices. The auditors have
wOrked ont that If has cost 81 CiO a wear