People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1896 — Socialism of New York Mayor. [ARTICLE]

Socialism of New York Mayor.

A story is told of a man who was much suprised when he learned that he had spoken prose all his life without being aware of it; and it may suprisa many little New Yorkers to be shown that the Empire City has practised “socialism’in its most dreaded forms for many decades —that New York city in its corporate capacity, builds, owns, and rents market houses and cellars. docks and ships, street vaults, restaurants, etc.; owns and rents ferrys, lands and houses; builds, maintains and owns bridges; constructs and operates aqueducts, and sells water uses; sells franchises, licenses and real estate; owns streets, parks, musuems, and li brari es. etc.; issues city warrants; and dabbles, in a way and after a fashion, into about everything that the most extreme “red-handed and hotbrained scociaiisu” or the most radical “keep-in-the-middle-of-the-road populist” has suggested; but the shame — the pity—is that it is all muddled by such a bungling, floundering, hap-haz-zard, go as-you-please way that the city’s possessions are made to be a curse>ather than a blessing to all concerned assets are are actually made to become debts. In fact, the enormous properties of this greatest of American metropolises, instead of being managed like they would be if the same properties were in the hands of a syndicate of business men-, or like any incorporated group of practial men would do if they owned the same possessions, so as to give large incomes to themselves, these vast properties are actually put in temporary charge of frequently changed groups of political guttersnips; and through their mismanagements and favoritisms these princely possessions these estates richer than those of some monarchies —are actually made to become a cause to saddle upon the whole people direct taxations which are as unnecessary aud uncalled for as taxes would be if levied by a board of directors on its employes and its stockholders for the necessary funds to op erate its trains. How T ever, be this as it may, this published to call attention to and to commend Mayor Strong, ot the city of New York, for the step he has taken in the right direction. The New York Press. February 14. 1896, tells us that “The city of New York wants a city drydock; that Mayor Stong opposed the idea that such a franchise should be handed over to private control; that Mayor Strong, at the meeting of the Sinking Fund Commissioners, February 13, told his associates that it was time that New- York should have a dry dock large enough to accomodate any ocean liner. ‘lt was a shame upon us,’ he said ‘that after the St. Paul had met with its recent accident it could not be docked in this city. ‘Recorder Goff and Controller Fitch, as usual, had notions of their own on the subject. They suggested that in the large European ports the dry docks were owned aud controlled by private corporations. “We want none of that here.” responded the mayor. ‘The city shonld have a dry dock of its own and this commission should take steps to have one built.’ The mayor said f urthef tha the would like to see a bill presented to the legislature providing for such a dock. He had talked with Commodore Sicard, and it was estimated that a comtnodiou s dock could be constructed for about $800,000.” In another paper published about the same date. Mayor Strong is quoted as saying: “ ‘ The city ought to build a dry dock 700 to 800 feet in length, one big enough for the docking of the largest steamship afloat It was a shame to send the St. Paul down to Newport News to be dry docked. ’ He expressed the opinion that the building of such a dry dock as was proposed would be a profitable investmen t*for the city, and that the property ought to remain under the control of the Dock Board when built.” We commend Mayor Strong iu taking the stand that New York city should Ijuild and operate this greatly needed dry dock. It is certainly- a disgrace that so important a port as New York city has not a first class dry deck. That such a property would pay for operation maintenaence, and at least ten per cent on its cost annually, cannot for a moment be doubted. And now why should not Mayor Strong take one more great

step and declare that in payment for the labor and material used in the construction of the citydry dock that the city will issue city warrants in #l. $2, f>s and $10; that said warrants will be received for general uses to the city of New Yerk at par. and at a premium of ten per cent over any money for the uses of said dry dock; and that said w-arrants shall be retired and cancled by the reciepts of said dry docks. Can there be a doubt that current non-interest-bearing warrants issued by the city of New York would not be as good and sound as non-current-interest-bearing bonds issued by the city of New York. Does any one suppose that New York city’s current w-arrants, made receivable at par for any of the $36,000,000 of taxes to be collected during the next fiscal year would not be readily received for labor and material to build said dry dock? that the said warrants would not be eagerly sought after by the owners of vessels, etc., frequenting New York harbor, and hoarded by brokers because they would be worth ten per cent more than gold or silver coins to pay for dry dockage? Again, what possible form of currency could be as guardedly issued as city warrants paid only for labor actually performed and material used to complete a re venue-producing work of public necessity such as said dry dock; and when said warrants are expressly stated to be a mortgage upon the w-ork constructed, and ordered to be cancelled by the net receipts for the uses of said dry docks. Could any currency be.better issued, better secured, better redeemed and better canceled? If a man working iu a cotton mill, for instance, produces for his employer one dollar’s worth of manufactured goods for every cents of wages he is paid, is it not reason* able to estimate that men omj ployed upon said dry dock, under an expert director, would produce at least four or five dollars of value for every dollar in city warrants paid to them in wages; and therefore would not one dollar in the city of New New York’s warrants paid for labor employed in completing said dry dock have four or five times more actual or intrinsic value for its basis of issue than a gold dollar or a one-dollar silver certificate, even if the silver at the back of said certificate were “big enough to make a cartwheel.” If not, why not?

It is trusted that the greater New Yorkes, or, may we say, “the Yorklyners,” may awaken up to the fact that there is no more use of issuing bonds to borrow current credit to construct works of public necessity than it was necessary for the early Knickerbockers to put a stone in one end of the sack to balance the wheat in the other end before taking it on horseback to the mill; and it is sincerely hoped—it is prayed—that Mayor Strong, in his good vigorous name, may say to that class of credit-mong-ers an£ bond advocates, whom Wendell Phillips called “the cannibals of Exchange alley, “that the city of New York is going to to inaugurate the Guernsey market house plan of payments to construct its revenue-producing works of public necessity; that with a population almost as great, and with wealth and resources many times greater than the thirteen American colonies had when tbev threw off England’s yoke of tyranny that “Yorklyn” Is going to have a current credit of its own which cannot be effected in any possible way by, or be beholden to, any outside city, st:. t e or people, or be dependent on or inllueuced by any one or more inside cliques of its own citizens, who insist upj on fastening upon the rest of its citizens, and their children after them England's system of bankepedit despotism. . One practical step in this direction, one step in the lir.e of home money 'to - employ our home people at home, one determined move of money based upon labor and redeemed by labor, will do more to make the old order of things change and to inaugurate a new era of justice and good fellowship than the application to our everyday affairs of all the wonderful inventions and discoveries of the past century have done for mankind.