OCR Text |
Show 0$ SERVANTS OR DICTATORS, WHICH? ill. C THE pot is beginning to boil. The public is awakening to the fact that the extraordinary ' ? M powers it granted public officials as war measures are scheduled to " 'm Decome peace measures. ! H, The common citizen thought that the railroads were taken over Ml for period of war and not to exceed twenty-one months thereafter. ml He thought the telegraph and telephone lines were taken over y for duration of war, also the express companies, tfl As a war measure he has submitted to all kinds of inconveniences m and increased rates which he would have never accepted in peace times. Now that the war is over he is somewhat surprised to have it f calmly announced that the telegraph and express companies and tele-jj tele-jj phone system which have been nominally under government control D It as war measures are to be consolidated and operated by the govern-W govern-W & ment under a tightter reign than during the war. There is no longer any thought whatever of accommodating the m, ? public. ;4 Autocratic power granted officials as a war measure apparently is to be taken advantage of and saddled on the people as peace - measures with wider scope than ever. "!lMK" - Again we say as war measures every citizen cheerfully accepted vF; every inconvenience. But the men who were given this state of power kJ .. seem bent on continuing and increasing it in peace times. ! y i Since 1776 the American people have felt entirely able to think, act and look out for themselves and choose and elect their officials (paid public servants if you please), not to dictate to them what they could and could not do but to carry out the wishes of the people of this I nation. , j$ Apparently this rule is to be reversed and the "paid servants" are to become the "paid dictators" and the people are calmly advised fr to acquiesce without complaint or explanation. i ' Again we say as a war measure this was O. K., as a peace meas ly ure it is un-American, i M, It will wind up by depriving the states of millions of dollars of & I tax revenue under the governmental ownership program and is the MY entering wedge for breaking down the American spirit of individual 1 If initiative and enterprise and turning the nation over to officialism and w.A socialistic rule. i 1 '' ) ! V |