The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1908-05-23
WHO PAYS THE B..ESs

WHO PAYS ne 6s--S-
Every now and then The Wage
worker is in receipt OF a lot of printed
matter that makes it laugh-and Won
der while il laughs One envelope
contains a lot OF matter intended for
editorial use and is headed Concern
ing Municipal Ownership Arthur H
Grant appears as editor and the office
of Publication is New York Another
envelope contains matter from the
American Protective Tafiff League, &C
eompanied usually by a copy OF per-
odicel entitled the American Econonl-
ist
Concerning Municipal Ownership"
is devoted to the work OF proving that
municipal ownership IS 2 failure and
that private ownership of public utilI-
ties is the only sensible plan
Who pays the expense OF printing
this antfmunicipeI dope Who pays
Mr. Grants salary. the postage bills
and all the sundry expenses incident
TO the issuance thereof In our mind
eye we can see some benevolnI gentle
men who are so interested in protect
ing the public that they cheerfully give
up their good money to Mr. Grant IN
order that he may warn Us against
trying 10 run our own business and adj
wise US TO let benevolent gentlemen
conduct il for us
Who pays the expenses of all this
protective tariff literature and the eN-
penses of getting out that neat and in
teres1ing periodical. the American
Economist. In our minds eye We
can see another benevolent gentleman
spending his good money in order 10
inform that American workingman
thar the speediest way of gaining a
competence is 10 tax himself rich OF
course Mr. Carnegie, Mr. Rockefeller.
Mr. Schwab. Mr.. Cramp, and all the
other gentlemen engaged in conducting
giant trusts that charge the home con-
sumner more than they charge the for
esgn consumer would not be paying
for all this eloquent and convincing
argument in favor of the protective
tariff. II would be unkind to even sug-
gest such a thing OF course the watch
trust which sells an Elgin movement
in a twenty-year gold filed case TO the
Englishman for SAL and chares the
American watch buyer sI0.15 for iden-
Ucally the same watch wouldn't be in
tariff dope" OF course the steel rail
trust which lays down rails in Yoka-
homa cheaper than it will sell rails to
American consumers f. o. b.. Pittsburg
Is not interested in maintaining the
protective tariff And the coal trust.
which imports pauper labor from Eu-
rope TO work its mines. isn't interested
in maintaining tariff on coal that en-
ableS ii to add dollar ton TO the
price because Novia Scotia coal is thus
barred out. and is honest when it sets
its imported miners to work at srarva-
ton wages while talking slibly of pro
lection to American workingmen-
5ers of Wall Street and the tariff bar
ons in Pittsburg and Cleveland are not
putting up the money for this anti
municipal ownership and pro-Sarsn
dope" But what we do not know is
who really is putting up for it We
would dearly love TO have the names
of the kindly and benevolent old
gentlemen who are taking such warm
interest in our welfare
The fact that We have been unable
10 grasp the argument set forth by
these benevolent old gentlemen does
not signify our thanss TO them Just
as we are about to accept the anti
municipal ownership idea we think of
how Lincoln people are paving fifteen
cents thousand gallons for clear
sparkling well water and getting their
water for fire protection for practical
ly nothing. while Omaha people pay
thirty-five cents q thousand gallons
Tor muddy Missouri river water and
about s1es.00O a year for water for
FIRE protection-and. presto. All the