The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-15
Municipal Pawnshop
THERE are certain kinds of business so
By DIX. FRANK CRANE

| HERE are CerCaln klnuS or DuSlucSS eo public in their nature that the govern
 ment is compelled to take them over Such are the post office, the collection of taxes, and the education of children, all of which were once managed by private parties.
 Little by little the conviction is forcing it. self upon the general mind that when any business reaches a certain point in natural monopoly the state should attend to it. 1 The United States has had hundred years of extreme competition and individualism our people are yet rather suspicious of the states doing anything which might be done | by person.
 Gradually, however, we are growing nearer the point where the idea of state operation of street car lines, railways and other co mon carriers seems not revolutionary, where the cry of city ownership of waterworks, gas plants, electric power works is not so loudly called socialism,
 In other words, we are slowly realizing" democracy, and growing into the understand ing that democracy is imperfect without a thorough organization of the people to attend to their own affairs, as people; in other words, we are learning the depth and width of the meaning of "a government by the people"
 One thing we ought to be ready to do right now and that is to have in evefy large city a municipal pawnshop.
 There are always a certain number of per sons who have fallen in the scramble for success, and are reduced to the necessity or rledging their watch or their dress suit, their books or their piano, to get money for bread and butter.
 These people are too honest to steal and too self-respecting to beg. They ought to have things made as easy for them as possl- ble. It is no more shameful to raise money on your furniture than 1t is to raise money on railway bonds.
 As the custom now runs, those who are forced to pawnshops are made the prey of as constituencies a set of sharks, in many in- stances, as ever picked the bones of the poor. Over and over again the public press has rehearsed the story Of their spollation; how the unwary victims are made to pay the most exorbitant rates of interest, only at last too often to lose their principal.
 The remedy is plain and simple. Let the city lend to it's own poor. Establish mu- nicipal pawnshop, with branches througnout the city, to lend money to those wno neeo As at a reasonable profit upon the pledglng or their personal effects.
 Is not this one little bit of decent nelpiui- ness any city might undertake without rear of graft or paternalism or any such accusa- tion?
 By our hit-and-miss charity" by our va- rious benevolent organizations and mission workers we try to help the needy: Often by these means it is the most unworthy thaC are found. Those whom a little timely aid would redeem and set agaln upon IneAr AeeI oro n"iu to discover.
 Why cannot the city, the great, common lorcanization of all the people, undertake to stand, at least to the extent of secured loan, between the unfortunate and the claws of ruin?
 The business of lending to the poor is too vital. too near to heartbreak and suicide, to he intrusted to any private concern. It is foo serious a matter for any hands except those of the city itself.