Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-08-21

Which Results From Undue Exten-
sion Of Government Activities.
Adam Smith in his Inquiry Into the
/ Nature and Causes of the Wealth OF
| Nations" gives the duty Of the govern
! ment as threcfold-frst, to protect the
! people from invasion by other people;
! secondly, to protect the individual from
the injustice of other individuals; third
ly, 10 erect and to maintain certain
/ public works and institutions which
are essential, yet not from their nature
remunerative.
jefferson In his first inaugural de-
clared the sum Of good government to
he to RESTRAIN men from injuring one
another" and to leave them other
wise free to regulate their own pur-
suit Of industry and improvement"
but not to take from the mouth OF
labor the bread 1t has earned"
Both Jefferson and Adam Smith ex-
press the spirit Of our institutions. the
freedom OF business as long as the
rights Of individuals are not interfered
with.
The American people are asked to &C
cept new principle-the principle Of
Socialism. As stated by Robert Batch
ford, that principle" the root idea OF
Socialism, means two things:
"First.-That the land and all the
machines. tools and buildings used in
making needful things. together with
canals. rivers. roads. railways. ships
and trains used In moving. sharing
distributing needful things and oil
the shops, markets. scales. weights and
money used In selling or dividing need
full things, shall be the property Of (be.
long to- the whole people (the nation).
'SecOnd.-That the lands, tools, ma.
chimes. trains. rivers. shops. scales.
money and all other things belonging
to the people shall be worked. man
aged, divided and used by the whole
people In such way as the greater
number Of the whole people shall deem
best"
1t Is true that many who believe In
manipulating the four utilities, water
electricity, gas and tramways. deny
any further connection with Socialism
Then there are Socialists who reject
limited municipal trading on the same
principle that q Prohibitionist votes
against local option. refusing part Of
the programme. hoping by this means
to get the whole programme. Never.
theless municipalixation Of the -four
utilities mentioned is a part OF the So
cialistic programme.
The international conference Of 80
cialists held In Paris In September
1900. declared
That 1t Is the duty Of all Socialists
to make clear to all the value Of mu.
nicipal activity. to recognize in all mu.
nicipal forms the importance which at.
taches to them rs embryos Of collect.
visit states and to endeavor to municipal
lie such public services as urban trans
port service. education. shops. bakeries.
water supply. ETC."
Thus the issue Is drawn between So.
cialism and individualism. There u NO
halfway ground. as the experience Of
English cities abundantly proves. Glas.
gov engages In fOrty-four different
lines Of business. rabbits are bred
by TOrquay. Liverpool raises beets.
and one English town actually raises
chickens. A momentum Is gained
from the municipalixation Of larger
utilities that inevitably carries the city
into further trading. thus competing di.
rectly with a large number OF inhabit.
ants.
A fundamental error in the belief
that leads to the Socialistic programme
u that all persons have the same needs
and desires. The advocates Of the doc
trine overlook the fact that as the COM
plexity Of mems lives increase their
needs and desires increase: that 1t may
be necessary for one man to use a
phone. while his neighbor has no DOS.
sible need for It.
In an individualistic community the
government may be an unprejudiced
arbitrator. but In a Socialistic one 1t
must always fight for its own rights.
Its natural tendency Is to crush out all
competition. The overgrown, evilly id.
ministered corporation may do harm
In an individualistic community, but
when the corporation and the govern
ment are one the combination has in
hnitely more power to injure and does
not fall to use 1t. In the former case
the people may divorce corporation in
huence from the government, but in
the latter the two are combined and
may crush the people.