ple like it?" asked Alice.

"O, they're getting to like it," replied the Hatter. "At first they
didn't want to ride on the thing at all. They said what you did, that
they didn't seem to be getting anywhere, and they hated to walk home,
but after awhile we proved to them that walking was a very healthful
exercise, and on rainy nights they found the covered car a good deal of
a convenience, especially when under the old system of private ownership
of umbrellas they had left their bumbershoots at home. Once or twice
they lost their tempers and sassed the conductor, but he put them in
jail for lazy majesty--a German disease that we have imported for the
purpose. As an officer of the Government the conductor has a right to
arrest anybody who sasses him as guilty of sedition, and a night or two
in jail takes the fun out of that."

"Have you had any elections since you established it?" asked Alice,
whose father had once run for Mayor, and who therefore knew something
about politics.

"No," said the Hatter with an easy laugh. "But we will have one in the
spring. We shall be reelected all right."

"How do you know?" asked Alice. "If the people don't like Municipal
Ownership----"

"O, but they do," said the March Hare. "You see, Miss Alice, we have
employed a safe majority of the voters in the various Departments of our
M. O. system, their terms expiring coincidentally with our own--so if
they vote against us they vote against themselves. It really makes
Municipal Ownership self-perpetrating."

"He means perpetuating," whispered the March Hare.

"Ah," said Alice. "I see."

Just then a heavy gong like a huge fire alarm sounded and all the
passengers sprang to their feet and made for the doors.

"What's that?" cried Alice, timidly, as she rose up hurriedly with all
the rest.

"Don't be alarmed. It's only the signal that our time is up," said the
Hatter. "We must get out now and make room for others who may wish to
use the cars. Nobody can monopolise anything under our system. I will
now take you to see our Gas and Hot Air Plant. It is one of the seven
wonders of the world."

And the little party descended into the street.

CHAPTER III

THE AROMATIC GAS PLANT

After the little party had descended from the marvellous trolley,
concerning which the March Hare observed, most properly, that under
private ownership nothing so safe and sane would ever have been thought
of, they walked along a beautiful highway, b