Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-11-19
p. A. Barrows, Correspondent

frame its platform are opposed to
socialism as such and are the last
group in the world to favor govern
ment ownership of all land and IN
dustry. Those who say otherwise,
do so, either because OF lack OF IN
formation, as in your case, or be-
cause of malice and ill-will.
Program of League.
what is the principle underlying
the public ownership plans of the
leagues program?
1T is to break the grip Of monop-
oily by government competition.
1--WE have in Nebraska many ex-
amples of government regulation
of means of competition. A few
years ago the cost of electricity in
Lincoln was II cents per kilowatt.
We established small municipal
plant and Immediately the price
dropped from II to 5 cents per klo-
watt hour. The municipal electric
light plant serves relatively few OF
the people in Lincoln, but because,
! potentially, it can serve all the peo-
pie, it keeps the rates OF the private
companies at low level.
Pass League Bill.
"The last legislature passed and
you signed a typical Nonpartisan
league bill, namely, the bill provid-
ing for a state hog serum plant.
The private hog serum manufactur-
ers had formed combination and
demanded and secured whatever
price their fancy dictated. But when
the state hog serum plant was estab-
lished. the monopoly of the private
manufacturers was broken and be-
cause of this Nonpartisan league
hog serum bill, the farmers are get
ting hog serum at a reasonable
price.
For years Omaha was in the
clutches of an ice monopoly. The
people demanded relief and the leg
islature passed a bill allowing the
metropolitan water board to manu-
facture and sell ice. Mr.. R. B.
Howell, manager of the Metropoli-
tan water works, established a mu-
nicipal ice plant and reduced the
price of ice 100 per cent. Mr.. How
ell has been breaking the grip of
monopoly in Omaha by his public
ownership schemes; the farmers
simply want to break statewide
monopolies in the same way.
The program of the Nonpartisan
league does not call for public own
ership of all the creameries, or of
all the flour mills, or of all the best
sugar factories, but it does call for
state ownership of one OF more
flour mills, creameries, beet sugar
factories, so that by government
competition, the creamery trust, the
beet sugar trust and the flour mill
trust can be broken.
Farmers Balance Wheel.
"The Nonpartisan league program
includes state ownership and de-
velopment of water power. In the
minds of some this is socialism, boil
stevism, anarchism and pro-Ger-
manism. This may be true, but we
are for it just the same. A few
months ago State Engineer Johnson
made a report to you with reference
to the water power of the state. in
which he declared that the state
could develop its water power and
sell electric power at the switch
board in Lincoln and Omaha for |
cent per killowatt hour and leave
enough of a balance to pay the cost
of the plant within 10 years. # we
can have electric light on our farms
at on expense of from IS to 90 cents
month, we are willing to be called
bclshevists and socialists.
you understand, of course, that
the public ownership program OF the
>Nonpartisan league is only part OF
its platform. 1t stands for the ex-
enption of farm improvements. from
taxation, state hail and fire Insult
ance, workable initiative and refer
endum laws and stopping OF gov
eminent extravaganza and waste.
The farmers of the Nonpartisan
league will hold a state convention
within the next 90 days and at that
convention will frame and adopt a
platform. Let me assure you again
that there will be no state socialism