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Show SEDUCING A STATE. Ju.st why various states and the government should figure on doing state printing any more than they should figure on doing state banking, state clothes manufacturing or state grocery wholesaling, whole-saling, is a mystery to most people. The cost records of state printing pints and of government printing do not offer encouragement encourage-ment to the taxpayers to have public funds expended in this manner, man-ner, even if such state industries were consistent with our form of Kovrnment. The Mississippi Press Association, backed soldidly by the job printers of that state, are fighting a state printing plant from the standpoint of the principle involved in the undertaking. The publishers are working under the motto, "Keep the government gov-ernment out of business, but put business into government." They will seek to show that it is bad business judgment for the state to I engage in a venture of this character; that it would be just as logi-1 cal for the state to engage in the wholsale grocery or clothing business. busi-ness. They hope to save the state from being seduced into setting itself up in business in competition with private citizens and taxpayers. tax-payers. After the state went into the printing business, it would be but a step for supporters of a socialistic program to advocate that it go into some other line of business. Thus all private citizens and business men are interested in the fight of the Mississippi publishers, to uphold the American principle favoring private initiative and enterprise and the right of the ndividual to carry on his business free from the crushing influence influ-ence of government ownership, control or operation of industry. |