Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-20
BACKS UP HITCHCOCK.
DR.. Wiley Lauds His Govern
ment Ownership Suggestion.
FAv0RS GENERAL SCHEME
Before Monday Evening Club, Says
Nationalism Describes His Views.
SHOULD BE REPRESENTED
District Could Better Get Reforms if
It Had Delegate in Congress,
Says Mr.. o'Shaunessy.
FAvORS GENERAL SCHEME
SHOULD BE REPRESENTED

Laudins the plan recently championed
by Postmaster General Hitchcock for
government ownership of telegraph lines
and indorsing generally the scheme of
federal ownership of public utilities DR.,
Harvey w. Wiley, chief of the bureau of
chemistry, who has been mentioned as a
presidential possibility last night defined
his political views in an address before
the Monday Evening Club at its annual
banquet. held at Rauscher's. Nationalism
which partakes of some of the best
features of socialism and progress
describes his political policies, the
distinguished food expert declared.
DR.. Wileys address was devoted largely
to the problems that confront the con-
sumner, but he made it plain that strong
public opinion will have to assert itself
through political channels before any
material relief from the conditions that
have brought about the high cost of liv-
ing will have been felt. He cautioned
however, against the state making the
consumer helpless by removing from him
the necessity of eXertion and struggle
declaring that. in this respect, his views
We're anything but socialistic.
While national questions We're those
principally discussed by DR.. Wiley, local
problems. dealing with insantary alleys
and health conditions generally, were
touched upon More than one hundred
half are women, were present at the ban
quet. The utterances of the government
chemist were greeted frequently with APP
plause.
Now, there are some things that the
state can do to help the consumer, and
that. is what I call state or national So
cialiSm," said Dr. Wiley Some things
we already have done for the consumer.
Where the State Helps Consumer.
I'VE carry his letters for him and very
small packages at "a very high rate, but
we leave all the rest of the carrying to
companies that are VIGOROUSLY unfair.
1t came out before the hearing at the
interstate commerce commission that
thousands of dollars of overcharges and
no undercharges had been discovered on
the part of those companies in a single
days examination of the books of those
companies. And it was also brought out
that beer was necessary to the consumer
and was carried at the average rate Of 80
ton by the express companies, while
food was carried at $154 a ton, average
rate. There is where legislation can help.
Not to say to the consumer, You must
not work for your living but say, to him,
When YOU have anything shipped to you
you are not going to be overcharged, be-
cause IL is necessary willie you get TIE
iuXurieS at a lower rate So / say that
the consumer demands that the Congress
of the United States should give him the
parcels post, as we'll as the penny post
man.
And then when you want to talk to
your friends by the electric impulse, why
not have the state carry the message?
You write a letter and the state carries
it for you. There is no one here tonight
that would object to a program of that
kind unless he has already organized that
corporation. Why should you, then,
when you send a message by the electric
impulse pay private corporation for
taking it? Let the state carry that mes
sage to the benefit of the consumer,
whether it should go in the form of a
Morse repeater. or whether it is an exact
reproduction of the voice by telephone or
whether it is a private message by dicta-
graph.
Now. that it what 1 call nationalism
and not socialism So, / believe that the
consumer, and We are all consumers. will
demand of the state that those things
which the state can do to help the con-
sumner, at the same time not to make
him helpless, not for a moment to take
away from him the necessity of exertion
and of struggle, shall be done. And that
public utilities which are operated for
the benefit of the public should be operat-
ed by the public. And everything that
the public does for itself should be done
by the public and not farmed out to a
corporation a firm, and then we will
have an opportunity to hold on little
tighter to that which we GET