The Washington herald., 1918-02-19

We read in one of Mr.. Brisbane's
carefully penned editorialettes the
following. which is Of interest:
1.-The only answer to the system
OF robbery. complicated, well organ
lied, thoroughly planned, bewilder-
ing, is government ownership"
II that government ownership Is
responsive to the will of the people
Yes.
II responsive to the will of others
No.
Government ownership can be sue
cessfuI. from the standpoint of the
masses, only when the will OF the
masses is obeyed, and when the well
fare of the masses is the chief con-
sIderation in the operation OF our
public utilities.
II government ownership means a
subsection of public utilities to the
same clique that now controls GER
tain interests and tries never to take
into consideration the welfare OF the
people, then the longer we defer
government ownership the better it
Is for US.
There is no magic in the words
Government Ownership" To pro-
duce results government ownership
means hard work, constant work,
and an alertness on the part Of the
people which must be long continued
and intense. The mere passage of
government ownership legislation will
not bring US relief. It is only the
start. After we have secured this
the entire battle still remains to be
fought.
O cannot refrain from picking
out the postoffice as an example of
what we are talking about.
The post system of the land should
be operated for the benefit Of the
public. 1t is owned by the public
and the public-all the people of the
country-have a direct interest in 1t.
But there are signs that it has de-
Perforated most woefully in the past
two or three years. Troubles galore
are in 1t and around it. The half
has not been told. On one side is
a very formidable aggregation of our
citizenship complaining that the serv-
ice is outrageously poor.
On another side are thousands of
other citizens saying that the cost
of this service is based on a most
lax recognition of the spirit Of fair
play.
On still another side are other
thousands of our citizens complain
ing that labor's rights are in no.
wise respected by the postal heads,
and that unless something is done
shortly to correct the errors many
ills will result.
Yet the post system is the one great
example we have today Of govern
ment ownership.
Corporations which dissolved
months and months ago-long before
the present war revenue act was
passed-are now in danger Of being
strongly assessed on their past busi-
ness. The war act is being inter-
preted by Commissioner Roper and
his associates as applying in a retro
active fashion to all SUCH concerns,
It is understood that precedent for
this is found by the revenue officials
In the retroactive application to es-
tates OF deceased persons.
Several members OF Congress point
out the difference, which the revenue
officials seem not to have taken into
consideration as a plain matter of
law.
There is no body nor spirit left 10
nonexistant corporations. After the
spirit has flown there Is no property
left. nothing over which an ownership
or a responsibility can be exercised.
An estate outlasts its owner. When
he departs-when he closes his books
30 far as the world is commemorative
estate lives after him. 1t must be ad-
ministered. In the place of the own
er must be placed the administrator
or eventually the heirs. There "a
something tangible which lives, in
other words, and which the govern
ment rightfully should reach.
The problem is an important one On
many States. so we are told, and the
likelihood is that every effort will be
made to persuade the commissioner
to take legal view Of It ere he has