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Show 3ELLAMYISM IN ENGLAND. Spirit of Paternalism Manifested by th London County Council. England is trying all sorts of socialistic social-istic experiments. If it keeps on, it will soon become Mr. Bellamy's ideal country. coun-try. The latest manifestation of the pater nal spirit in government is the proposition, proposi-tion, now seriously entertained by ths London county council, to open mnnio-ipal mnnio-ipal pawnshops for the purpose of lending lend-ing small sums to poor people on pledges of personal property at small rates of interest. The Ijondon pawnbrokers are up in arms against the proposition. Of course they cannot go on charging 60 or 100 per cent, as they are now said to do, if the city pawnshop will loan money at 5 or 4 per cent And the London Chronicle wants to know why, if the state undertakes to do banking for the rich man, it should not do it also for the poor man. The idea of making governments gen erally useful and using their powers tc break down odious and oppressive monopolies by exposing them to an un equal competition is gaining ground everywhere. ev-erywhere. If New York's plain people could have their way, unobstructed by the politicians and the stock gamblers, the entire transportation service of the metropolis me-tropolis would, be, like the Brooklyn bridge, municipal property, run for the general benefit and exacting no more fares than were needed to pay for its maintenance, repairs, extension and running expenses. Editor New York Recorder. |
