| Show I I I I DISCONTENT T. ISCO rE r. Intelligent discontent is 18 one ono of oC tho the prime factor facto s of f progress It goads oads men mon and nations to new at It asks for and secures a magna maSna a charta harta in n one ohe century a n. bill of or rights in another It t Is tho the mother of Invention and tho the guardian o or liberty It lays Its finger finser upon an economic wron wrong wron- g and nd rI rights It H. It fixes Its u o upon a n. distant go gou gound goul and nd does not stop until It reaches It It does n no not follow ollow thc o to death In tho morasses o or political nor does 11 it wa waste to its time 1 In hunting for pots of gold at tho the foot Coot of or economic c rainbows Unintelligent discontent strikes with Its c eye ey- shut hut and wounds friend and foe indiscriminately It t is the terror of the truo true statesman whose plan planor for or economic progress it defeats through Its Yel ver Y but It is s tho the delight of or tho the e who vho fattens on n Its fickleness s LII Like o the dog do In th fable able it is 18 ready to drop tho the meat in its mouth fo for forthe r the he shadow piece in ht tho the pool It strives to kill hill th the e re goose that lays th the golden eggs In order that i imay it itma ma may acquire a larger share of wealth that Is s y ye yeo et etto to o be created We 0 are aro all rightly discontented with some o oho ot ho tho results of or corporate control of or Industry and o of publio pUblic utilities The Intelligent seek seck relief relic through h hl publicity and regulation conserving the tho he l enterprIse that has wrought our OUI civilization th e unintelligent ent snatch at the tho quack CUl cures s of ot public c ownershIp and socialism S s Socialism m in lit Eim En England land At AL the recent Labor conference at Hull Eng En- land and a resolution was adopted to the effect tha that t Socialism istha Is 15 the definite object of or tho the Labor part party This party has steadily t favored municipal ownership ownershIp owner owner- shIp hip but until this year ar has been unwilling to to tak o or the he next and logical step of ot Indorsing Socialist Socialism This his action Just taken Is helpful to the clearer tt un un- of or the tho relation between tho two move C monts montH Socialism stands for tho the collective owner owner- r- r ship hip of or all tho the means of ot production municipal ral al ownership stands for or the collective ownership o oa ot ota alf f a part of tho means of production Tho The e Is s one of or degree not of or kind and in ht Great Gleat Britain n no 10 logical line lino of 01 demarcation between the t t two tO O o ha has ns s been found Socialism JIl ll In America l In this countr country too the Socialist is making full ful use UHe of or municipal ownership He Fie well l knows that tha many people will take tickets for a short ride wh would be frightened away If Jr urged to buy a through ticket Tile The main point is to get them started toward to to- to ward vard his ultimate goal goat After Atter a man has been boon enlisted enlisted en- en listed Isted In favor or n. of ot municipal ownership It is comparatively com com- easy to get him to accept tho the principle of 01 public ownership of or railroads telegraphs anI an and coal conI mines although he lie may still not be ready to accept the whole Socialist program program collective collective own own- owner ownership er of or all the means of production for tho simple simple sim sim- simple rea reason that he is apt to be an owner or part owner of ot some omo means of production himself clr e. e g. g A p shop or a a. store afore or a n share thare or two of stock in a manufacturing plant That Is wh why the national platform of or the Socialist party parl Is discreetly silent on on some of oC the cardinal doctrines of ot Socialism The Thereal Thereal Thereal real purpose o of collective C e ownership of or all the tho means of production is therefore toned down to toa toa a a. demand for Rhe collective 1 ownership of or railroads telegraphs telegraphs telegraphs tele tele- graphs telephones steamship lines JInes and n all 11 oth other r means of or transportation and communication and andall andall all nil land Tho Thu collective ownership of ot all aU Industries which are arc organized on a n national scale and in which competition has hns virtually ceased censed to exist Tho The extension of ot the public domain to Include mines quarries oil wells forests and water power Time platform is silent about municipal ownership ownership owner owner- ship of lighting plants and water works because tho M. M O. O people are arc attending to Lo that part of or tho the Socialistic Socialistic So- So So So- program ram leaving the thoroughgoing SocIalist Socialist So Su- free freo to concentrate his efforts on the second part of oC the program as outlined above c It ma may look bolt but remember that Socialism doesn't in in- in tend tenet to stop slop with public utilities find and big corporations corpora corpora- nor until it has swallowed up in iii the great state tate machine el c every vestige Uge of or private ownership of everything except what a man wears wean on his batik balk or ot needs to furnish his home e o A 1 Warning From FromIn Prance e. In France Franc the telephone system Is owned and operated b by the tho government with ith a lack of ot success which has hn driven en the telephone using public to des les- het Tho subscribers have a a. national organization tion lion and a monthly publication devoted to an un effort ef- ef ef l.- l. fort to improve tho ties service The president of this a association In an article translated for this I aqua u. u points out in detail cletaH the reasons for the failure of lit government management Though stated with sole reference to telephony the these there c reasons would apply equally quail to other utilities especially to those In which there arc aie large lare numbers number of ot and in to which scientific and technical discovery discover la le making makins rapid changes |
