Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1891-02-07

/ opoly, through IL common understand
/ ing and consent Of the political parties.
| The consideration given for such control
| II whatever Is necessary TO nominate and
| elect their men, and is sometimes a con-
| trlbutlon of money to each party, or to
! individual Leaders, or only nominal rates
/ to the leaders for tn" article that the
/ private monopoly supplies, Accordingly,
! when the interests of the people and the
interests of monopoly clash, the mono
/ poly has the necessary number of agents
of Its own, elected by the people, but
watching and acting in the interests Of
the private monopoly, This work goes
ON, year after year, and decade after
decade, and the high officers of the city
become controlled, through money,
greed, or love of office, 10y the private
monopoly.
How shall the people remove all
temptation to the further spread of such
reprehenslble, vicious, imqutous and
nefarious practices? Not toy abolishing
the monopoly. That would not be good
business pollcy; but 10y taking and own
ing the monopoly and running it in the
interest of the whole people. Let the
honest people, who are largely in the
majority, arouse themselves and see to
it that no official, elected to take care
Of the interests of the people, shall act
i'll the interests Of private monopoly
and against the people.
"lnterested owners and their friends
will talk about vested rights, as though
a private monopoly had an everlasting
right to deprive the people of water,
light, or any public service unless paid
| twice its cost for the benefit of the
monopoly. The facts in the case of any
and all of the private monopohes are
that the rights delegated by the Legis-
lAture to these companies cease at the
option of the people, legally expressed
through the Legislature, and bestowed
upon the people of the city upon pay
ment of its value. There is no property
too valuable and no vested right too
sacred to be taken by the people in regu.
lar form of law and on payment therefor
at the fairly appraised value, The right
to thus take property is an inherent
right of the people.
1.-The franchise itself is not entitled to
be appraised at any higher price than
the cost Of an honest method of obtain
ing it originally, from the Legislature.
Making the people pay for the return of
franchise, only lent to the private
monopoly, would be the quintessenCe of
robbery.
"ln order to buy out the property of
monopoes 1t will be necessary to 20 to
the legislature and get permission to
issue bonds. To say that the stockhod.
ers will do all they can to defeat the
project is only saying that they have too
tat monopoly. But If these unscrupul-
Gus and utterly selfish few and their
hired smiling persuasive attorneys and
their satellites should try to persuade
you that water or gas or electric light or
car fare will be higher under city own
ershlp please do not believe them. A
round big number of thousands of dol
lars VIII be spent III trying TO persuade
, the voters that they do not know enough
to select proper business men to let on OF
, turn oil the water as occasion may re.
qulre, to run the electric engines and
string the wires, to shovel the coal into
the furnaces to make the gas, nor tC
drive the horse cars and collect the fares
to persuade you that none of the manag
ihS hhchoo "ioii Jou may select, elLltl
, directly or indirectly through the Cour,
of Common Council, Commissioners Oh
Mayor Will ever pay over any of tn,
{ funds coming INTO their hands, TO al
these attempts at persuasion tell these
, smooth takers that the officers, agentl
| and all other employ 6s of these privat,
monopoes want to stick to the indus
r tries and help run them after the people
Z take them. If the officers, agents anC
O,her employees are honest now, VIII,
. not when under the eyes of SO, ,0OC
, ownersi'
Mayor Sargent gave many statistics o
cities, showing the difference Of COS
under private monopoly and pubn,
ownership. lie also refuted with consi
: derabe force and practical illustration
the argument tnat municipal corruption
would be greater under the latter sys
ten, anu he concluded with an eloquen
- appeal to all citizens for co-oprratioI
and association in the public ownership
t and working Of their franchises lie
u.s. he said, ''strangle that great cor
, rudter of the Dallot-priyate monop
2 oly.'