The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-02-05
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP.
Why It ie No Nearer to Socialism
Than Private Ownership.


bow,s that funny platform Of your
party?
form is o K. We don't spread fly
paper on IT.
S P.-Do YOU insinuatc the ). T.
platform is flypaper?
L. P-Insinuate nothing. We S.
L. P..ers say IL is flypaper, and n reg
ular tanglefoot for the uneducated
worker who gets caught on II, and get
ting the sticky stuff on him, makes
a terrible buzzing noise about 1t.
Bah, away with II, You TOOL yourself
you're n Socialist.
S. P.-Don't get sarcastic, old man,
for our party is large organization,
and (proudly) look at the members
We have in the legislature in Wiscon-
sim Look at the government own
ership we've almost gotl And as for
the S. L. p. nobody knows it's alive.
S. l.. P.-Ha! Ha' Ha- Ha,
s. P-What are you laughing at?
S. J.. P.-I just remembered l saw
two kids yesterday playing with bal
looms, one had q big green one. and
the smaller kid had small red one,
The big kid was boasting OF his bal
loon. when a north wind struck It.
and II was blown up against a barb
ed wire and burst, Ha' Ha- Hal Ha-
S. P.-Stop laughing and talk ser
iouS You
S. l.. P.-I couldn't help laughing,
for seriously / saw parallel. The
s. P is a big kid with big green bal
loon, and -
S. P-And l suppose you think
you're barbed wire, and can bust It,
En-?
S. L. P.-Exactly. your statements
are so funny. Hai Ha- Ha. Ha! But
excuse me for laughing you're the
easiest mark I've had for long time
S. P.-Easy mark be iiggered. Stiff
fen your jaws and give us something
logical.
S.L P.-All right. kid-the S. l. P
is the fountain OF truth and logic, SO
here goes. You say government owner
ship is Socialistic?
s. P.-Yes.
S. l. P.-Government ownership IS
no more Socialistio than private own
ership,
S. P-Hurry up and show me, then.
That shows that government owner
ship means robbery of the workers
just the same. for the sum headed
Interest on Capital Invested" which
was the lions share, went TO the cap.
italists who loaned the money to the
And to continue the fic-
ton. the public" only got 46S,O66
pounds, So you see the Australian
and tramways gave four
times as much to the money-lenderS
as it did to the public" Suppose YOU
YOU were a workingman down there,
now much do YOU suppose you'd get?
S. P.-ruefully) know well
enough I'd get nothing.
s. l.. P.-Just tie same with the
rest OF the Australian public" In
the Socialist Republic the workers on
the railways VIII determine what are
The conditions and hours of labor as
only those who work In the industry
lre qualified TO know. and the trans
Dortatlon department will be repre-
3ented In the industrial legislature b.
workers in that industry, composed OF
tramway and steamer sec
lions of that department; for as al
present constituted the legislature is
of men elected on a geo
basis, which Is untitled to
represent the Socialist republic, !
which Is a Republic OF Industry. Do
he workers on the railways OF troll
ey lines have any say In their oper- !
ltion?
S. P-I should say not. If any
worker Is heard criticisIng the man.
igement he is promptly sacked
81. nj IL i,,e ]
.ralia. when the delegates from the
Sst Trades congress went TO see
Manager Johnson about labor condi-
ions on the railways. he told them
nc was brought to the country TO
,perate them on commercial basis
md he was doing So Commercial +;
1asis" means profits Therefore gov
ownership Is likewise prof j
Is Private ownership Is profits. |
There you have them! The Siamese !
wins of plunder, So there's logic
rom the S L. P. Government own /,
srship is not step to Socialism. /
The workers are robbed, they have no !
say in the operation. and they daren't |
Your balloon is burst. You /
struck a barcbd wire!
S. P-(walks away muttering) | |
eel as if I'd been to the North Pole.
got such chill that time.-Adapted ,
% the American from the Sydney,
Australia, People.
S. l.. P.-Lets take the the rail-
ways for example, but IL give you
definition OF Socialism first Social .
sm Is the collective ownership. oper
alton and control of the means of pro-
1uction. transportation and distrlbu-
lion. Isn't it?
P-Yes; that's all right
Government Ownership
Is Not Socialism.
s. l. P.-Well IL the railways were
privately owned by a railway COM
pany, they would still be operated on
the same basis, that is. by SOCIAL Ia
DOT, by workers in all sections such
as section hands. engineers, signal
men, etc So you see that whether
the railways are privately owned, OF
owned or apparently owned by the
government. the system of production
IS the same, namely. SOCIAL produc-
ion. and government ownership does
not alter that fact Neither does gov
ernment ownership alter the fact that
under 1t, as under private ownership.
he capitalists. and not the workers.
get the benefit of It So hold those
-wo facts in mind. and you will rec
)gnize that government ownership Is
no more Socialist than private owner
ship, and Is not a fraction of a step
lcarer Socialism than private owner
ship. So you see that while the So
,ialist Republic will be operated by