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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1913)
8re5SBwiS "'N-ipiijipMyjpPWw The Commoner. 3 JANUARY 21, 1913 the monopoly of credit. Credit is tho broad base of modern business. Tho sale of the Chase National Bonk shares by tho dummy holding company of tho First National bank shows that money monopoly itself Bees the writing on the wall. Among the people themselves there is no doubt there can not longer be any doubt that the credit of tho country must be set free from monopoly. New York World. The Land Where Strikes are Unknown PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF TELEPHONES State representative G. W. Puller of Seward, Nob., is the father of a measure providing for public ownership of telephone exchanges and long distance toll lines. The Lincoln (Neb.) Star described Mr. Fuller's measure in this way: "Under the terms of this bill, any county will be permitted to vote bonds necessary to estab lish publicly owned telephone exchanges and toll linos, either by construction or by purchase. The municipalities of the state already possess some powers in that direction, and the provisions for county ownership will be so drawn as not to conflict with those for cities and towns. The bill will further provide for a state levy of a specified amount, probably not exceeding 1 mill per annum, for the purpose of building and operating inter-county lines. A 1-mill levy will raise over $400,000 a year, and this, it is thought, will be sufficient to proceed with public ownership activities as fast as the state can readily take over the business. The office of county superintendent of telephones will be created by the bill, its incumbent to be ap pointed by the county board of commissioners or supervisors. Provision will also be made for employing such assistants as he may need. For the state, an officer to be known as the telephone and telegraph commissioner will be created, to act as manager of long distance systems built or otherwise acquired. The control of long dis tance rates will doubtless be left in the hands of the railway commission for public as well as privately owned telephone systems. Municipal and county rates may be left to the local authori ties. It is possible that this bill will be con solidated with one which the Nebraska leaguo of municipalities will offer on the telephone ques tion. Tho municipal league bill, it is expected, will provide for taking the control of local rates away from tho railway commission and vesting it in the cities and towns, each acting for itself." Mr. Fuller has tho correct idea. Public .owner ship of the telephone lines is the solution of a vexatious problem. A CLEAR VISION Vico President-elect Marshall had a clear vision when in his final message to the Indiana legislature, he said: "Unless progressive legis lation is enacted, the people, some day, will open up the cul-de-saq, even though the opening may lead representative government over a precipice into pure socialism or paternalism." Democrats will have it in their power to cor rect the abuses of government. Governor Wil son shows that he has a clear mderstanding of the necessities of the situation and the vice president will be in a position to render him material aid in building for popular govern ment. INCOME TAX Thirty-four states have ratiified the federal constitutional amendment providing for the in come tax. Ratification by two more states is all that Is necessary for tho final adoption of this great reform. There are fourteen states yet to act and there can be no doubt that out of that" number there will be two whose legisla tures will get into line with the great progres sive movement. NEW YORK AND OHIO On January 15th the New York legislature and the Ohio legislature completed tho process of re-affirming New York's and Ohio's accep tance of the federal constitutional amendment providing for the election of senators by popu lar, vote. NEXT! i- ...... i . The Rockefellers are in bad shape, -William's throat is so sore that he can not say anything and John D.'s memory Is so defective that ha can not think of anything to say. New Zealand furnishes absoluto proof of tho advantages derived from laws to benefit tho people generally. Conditions beforo 1890 were worse there than they over have been in tho United States and the people were leaving by tho thousands. A few people owned the greater part of the land and controlled icnrly every thing else worth having. It resulted in tho great strike of 1890. The capitalists won the striko but tho workers and farmers united thereafter, electing representatives pledged to establish measures for tho good of the common people and swept tho monopolists out of power. .They have held cohtrol tho greater part of tho time sinco then and passed laws that aro a model for the world. They have satisfactorily solved many of tho troubles wo arc now con tending against and oven those who bitterly opposed tho new order of things, would riot now oven think of returning to tho old ways. The following Is a short description of the government and some of the most important re forms that have been adopted: 1. The government Is administered by a governor appointed by England (who has very little power), a ministry, a legislative council and a house of representatives. Tho present . population is about 1,008,000 and tho country is somewhat smaller than Great Britain. The soil is very fertile and tho climate is one of the finest in the world. It somewhat resembles England but is milder and pleasanter. 2. Tho constitution can be changed at any time by a voto of parliament, subject to tho possible dissent of England, which is very un likely, so New Zealand is practically a' republic in itself. 3. Appeal boards and arbitration courts (composed of workers, employers and public officers) are established to settle all labor diffi culties strictly on the merits of each case and not on technicalities. By this moans, strikes have been abolished, labor organizations en couraged, cut-throat competition stopped and employes protected against unjust dismissal. 4. It operates, a system of public, and Indus trial schools free for the benefit of tho young, caring for those whose parents are dead or un able to properly care for them. 5. In elections, the law provides for direct nominations by the people through petitions without caucus or conventions. 6. Australian voting booths and alphabetic list of candidates without giving party names are used. 7. Fine and forfeiture of office for any cor rupt practice, even treating or free conveyance of voters. 8. Voting by mail for citizens away from home. Fines for those who don't vote. A half holiday for all voters on election days. 9. Equal suffrage for men and women. , 10. A practical referendum on national affairs, not only through direct nominations, popular questioning of candidates and indepen dent voting at regular triennial elections, but through special appeals to the people at any intermediate times that parliament Is dissolved because of disagreement between tho council and house of representatives, the question on which they differ being carried then directly to the people at the polls. 11. The constant use of the referendum In municipal affairs. 12. The laws aTe made for the benefit of the majority of the people and not for any particular interest or class. 13. Appointments to civil service are based on merit ascertained through competitive ex aminations. Employes are secured against un just dismissal or oppreslvo treatment through right of appeal. Promotion depends on length and efficiency of service. 14. In place of the old property tax, pro gressive land and income taxes are generally established, with improvements, small estates and hard-presBed citizens exempted and the bur dens placed on wealthy owners and monopo lists. 15. The government now owns nearly all the railroads and aims to give the public the . greatest possible service at low cost. It owns and operates the postofflce and carries letters, parcels, etc., at very resonable cost. It owns and operates the telegraphs and telephones as part of the public system. It establishes and conducts savings banks to encourage the people to save, guarantees deposits and gives fair in terest. It owns and operates solely in the public Interest the central bank of issue the heart of the banking system. 1G. It maintains a public loan office and controls tho machinery of credit and rate of interest by loaning money to farmers, mor chnnts, manufacturers, and tho working pcoplo on easy terms and at low Interest. The postal banks, public trust office, government insurance ofllco and land department also make loans at low rates. 17. It prohibits panics, alleviates depression and has declared It would allow no decent bank to fail. 18. It has established a government Insur ance ofllco for life, endowment, annuity and accident Insurance with tho guarantee of tho government behind It; and the office does a far larger business than any prlvato company In tho country. 19. It conducts a public trust office for tho management of estates, Investment of money under the guarantee of tho government, tho making of deeds, mortgages, wills and other In struments for the pcoplo corroctly and at very low cost. 20. It has established experimental and model farms, one for each 100,000 population, and depots for dressing and packing poultry at tho chlof centers; also, a state farm, whero tho unemployed may find remunerative work, and whero inefficient laborers may bo turned Into effective workers. 21. It provides villago and farm settle ments, where the poor may make homes for themselves and have co-operative employment if they wish. 22. It limits the amount of land ono man may hold, provides now for tho compulsory pur chase and division of largo estates, disposes of land by perpetual lease, gives preference to tho landless, aims to take tho unearned Increment in rents and graded taxes and moves towards tho nationalization of tho soil. 23. It has simplified tho methods of dealing with interests in land by providing for tho regis tration of titles and tho government guarantee behind such certificates issued. 24. It has established government ownership and operation of coal mines to. check tho extor tion of tho coal ring and to provide the people with fuel at reasonable cost. 25. It accords to municipalities the right to establish and maintain wului-wuiKo, goo and electric lighting plants, street railways and other public utilities, subject to the referendum. It requires them to maintain public slaughter houses under Inspection of the agricultural de partment. 26. It acts as commission merchant for tho farmers, receives farm products, moats and pro visions, eggs, butter and cheese, and even live poultry at Its railway stations, carries them to warehouses at ports of export, kills, dresses, grades and packs, keeps in cold storage, ships to agents, sells, collects and remits the funds to the farmers, less cost of transportation. It alda farmers also in helping them to secure labor in harvest time and many other ways too numerous to mention now. 27. It considers tho welfare of Its workers most carefully, doing everything possible to help them in every way. Tho labor department and the public employment offices (established every where) provide employment for all who want it. It uses tho railways to distribute labor at cost to points whore needed and gives low fares to workers to and from their work each day. 28. It has decreed an eight-hour day and a 0 0 ' RENEWALS 0 Tho subscriptions of those who became 0 subscribers with the first issue of Tho 0 0 Commoner and have renewed at tho close 0 0 of each year, expire with tho last Issue 0 In January. In order to facilitate tho 0 0 work of changing and re-entering the ad- 0 dresses upon our subscription books and 0 mailing lists and obviate the expense of sending out personal statements an- 0 0 nouncing that renewals are due, sub- 0 scribers aro urgently requested to renew with as little delay as possible. Tho work of correcting tho stencils entails an 0 enormous amount of labor and the pub- 0 lisher asks subscribers to assist as much 0 as possible by making their renewels promptly. The corrected expiration 0 usually appears on the wrapper of the 0 second issue after renewal is received. 0 .0 0 0