The Detroit times., 1916-08-15
The Price of Self-Distrust
BY Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1916, by Frank Crane)

A strike is the breakdown of govern
ment.
1t is confession of the ineniciency OF
the People
1t is not caused by the weakness of
Democracy, but by the Peoples distrust
and fear of democracy.
Running a railroad on a street car
service is public business, fully as mach
so as carrying mail or teaching school
There are no strikes among postoflice
lemployes nor school teachers. The rea-
son is that in these two matters the
People attend TO their own business.
There are strikes on railroads because
there the People are afraid to trust
themselves and get mddleman TO do
their business for them.
Professedly democratic, we yet fear
democracy every step of the way. Like
children, We conjure up all sorts Of bug
abooS to scare ourselves At the sugges-
ton that the People manage their own
transportation of men and freight, as
they now SO successfully manage the
transportation Of letters, at once the
cries are raised of socialism, Com
munism!" Dirty poliucs!' '1netfi-
cheney" Graft"
Almost everybody now, even the most
wooden, recognizes that raiIroading is
quasi public business. We have our
railway interstate commerce, and public
service commissions. This much the
logic of democracy has forced on us.
But why quasi Lincoln said tho
country could not exist half slave and
half free. as house divided against it.
self cannot stand And these strikes
and rumors of strikes. this perpetual un-
rest, this proven inability Of transporta-
ton managers 70 serve three masters
the Stockholders, the Workers, and the
Pubhc-show that our business fabric
can nope for no healthy growth II it con-
tinue half Private and half Public
If the People owned and operated their
own railways and interurbau uransporta
ton there would be no strikes.
There would be no more quarrels be
tween laborers and employers, wherein
the People always suffer. Laborers
never quarrel with the People. They
are the People
There would be no more watered
stock earning huge dividends on fcti-
! tious capital.
There would be no more powerful
class Of lawyers and lobbyists, corpora
ton minded men whose abilities are
turned toward directing" legislation
and moulding" public opinion; that is
in poisoning the two very fountains of
democracy, the lawmaking body and
the press.
The enormous profits of transporta.
ton would go toward the Public Veal
and not toward the enrichment of few.
The arrogant labor boss and the often.
sive money boss would disappear.
Why don't the people attend to their
own business? Why do they need a
guardian?
When the People turn their affairs
over to kings and kaisers they have war;
millions Of the poor boobs are murdered
20 pay for the abominable pride, stub
bornness, and inetiiciency of the rulers
they trusted
And because the People Of the United
States are afraid of themselves they
turn the vast transportation business
over to men who assure them that poll.
tics (the People, are too corrupt and in
competent for business. Things go along
until conditions become intolerable.
IThen-strikes and violence! The whole
commercial life Of the People is par
alyzed
Chaos, anarchy, destruction-that is
the price the People pay for fear, timid-
Iity, and self distrust.
Democracy must go forward--or per-
ish.