The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-06-25
BY Hon. WALTER A. WEBSTER.

and of government ownership is com
ing to the forefront as an issue of the
greatest Importance to the American
people A feeling of unrest pervades
the community. 1t is the fashion of
the day to criticise capital and capital
lists. We are called land of Unequal
1ty. Our wealthy are designated
princes of privilege. 1t is said that the
masses are being despoiled to enrich
an aristocrGcy and that the press is
Stifed and the government corrupt.
Quasi-publlc corporations like gas
companies, electric light companies.
street railway and railroad corpora
tions are particularly under the ban
of radical public opinion. Their
charges are declared to be excessive
and their service poor, while many are
supposed to be overcapitalized and by
means Of false bookkeeping to be max
1ng excessive and enormous profits.
Where there Is so much smoke there
must be some fire. Unquestionably
evils do exist and in many instances
of an outrageous nature-evils that
should be stopped and done away with
forever. No sensible man will dispute
this. So far 50 good.
But when it is declared that munlci-
pal ownership and government owner
Ship are the only remedies for these af-
tlictions Of the body polite l, for one,
demand proof
The burden Of the proof is on those
who desire a change from present con
ditions to public ownership to prove
that we should get better conditions
and be served in q safer and more sat
1sfactory manner or else show that the
conduct of the business that the city
or government wishes to acquire has
been 50 autagonStic and fatal to the
public interest that the only feasible
remedy is public ownership. If this
last position is taken. 1t should include
proof that the regulation will not suf-
fee
The public in most communities In
the United States doesn't have to go
into municipal ownership to remedy
these evils. To confess inability to
regulate them is to confess inability to
choose proper men to represent you.
The American people are not going to
be enslaved by any combination of cap
1tal for any length Of time. They have
their remedy in the ballot. They may
stand it for a time, legislatures and
city councils may be bought, but soon
er or later little by little laws are going
to be placed upon the statute books
that will prevent OvercapitallZatlOn
that will prevent eXOrbitant prices be-
Ing charged, that will curtail enormous
profits and make them reasonable and
that will compel our great public serv
ice corporations to follow a uniform
system Of accounting and bookkeeping
that will throw the searchlight of pub
licity on the financial operations Of
these corporations.
We have accomplished much In this
direction IN Massachusetts. We will
accomplish more. To say that we will
not Is to say that We are Incapable of
self government.
The Industrial and commercial great
ness Of the United States far exceeds
that ever known at any time by any
other people in the entire history of the
world. Liberty of action and the un-
trammeled liberty of the individual have
made the modern world. Individuality
is the one essential to which our civ
jlization and our social progress are ow-
ing When the individual was crushed
nations lay PROSTATE or developed but
slowly. When individuality was rec.
Ognized. civilization grew to manhood.
With individuality came originality
and invention. Freedom of speech, of
thought and action was the handspring
OF originality. Thus far we have es-
capped the tyranny of too much govern
ment, and If it can be demonstrated, as
1t can be unquestOnably, that all these
great public enterprises We're Originat-
ed, dev velOped and perfected under
state and social condition where the
individual was recognized it must be
proved that under state of partial
socialism equally good results can take
place.
The great public service corporations
are the product Of Industrial evolution
and are one Of the highest eXemplitica-
tions of what individual effort can do.
They We're started many years ago at
a time when their success or failure
was matter of doubt. In every case
they were started not by cities, states
or governments, but by private indi-
Viduals in their private capacity as
individuals. as partners or corpora
tlOns. They have been gradually de
velOped from small beginnings until
they have reached their present size.
At first their products were luXuries.
Now they are necessities. There is not
to be found among the great inven
tions that have done so much to i'm
prove the lot of civilized man a single
one that was due to government ini-
tiative. Governments never expert
ment. Individuals do. If they fail the
government never adopts the expert
ment, but II they succeed and are
placed upon a paying basis then the
government, be it city or state, Is will
ing to buy.
During the long process of our in
dustrial evolution men have been grad
ually developed who have become tech
nical specialists and who are thorough
ly acquainted with all the infinite de-
tail connected with the enterprise
They have In many II stances started in
humble capacities and come to the top
OF the ladder by reason of sheer ability
and experience. By ingenuity and
skill they have managed departments
with great economy or in some way
introduced improvements that have
tended TO save money for or to broaden
the scope Of their company. Their re.
ward has been promotion. Thus we
find that in most Of nur nuhltc Carvioa