The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-12-27
IMPORTANT QUERY.
An Important Question to Farm
ers, and Especially to
WOrkingmen.
ST. CLOUD, Dec. 9, '93.
HON. IGNATIUs DONNELLY.

Gil to purchase the water-wOrkS syS
tenn and operate it in the interest O.
the people Of the city. The counci
plgeon-holed the petition. The X
OF L., not satisfied with such diSpOSa
OF the question, appointed commit
tee to draw up petition and circu
late 1T among the merchants and tax
payers of the city. The result was
that nine-tenths Of them signed, anC
the council was presented with Il pc
titlon SO formidable that they dared
not refuse to act. a committee was
appointed to investigate and report
whether or not it was advisable tC
purchase.
The committee worked several
weeks, when they reported almost
unanimously in favor of purchase
the vote standing to |. The coun-
Gil would undoubtedly have also vOt-
ed in favor; but in steps the city at
torney and announces that by act OF
the legislature no city could issue
bonds in excess of ten per cent of its
assessed valuation for any purpose
whatever. In looking up the act t
seemed somewhat ambiguous to me,
and so wrote the attorney general Tor
an interpret tation. He confirmed the
opinion of our city attorney. Some
time after the chairman of the cOun-
Gil committee wrote for an interpre-
tatiOn OF the same act. In reply the
attorney general expressed his belief
that the construction Of the act was
not entirely clear; that there was am
biguity.
This left matters in such shape
that the council would take no fur
ther steps to purchase. We were al
ready near the ten per cent limit,
and the amount necessary to pur-
chase the works would carry us be-
yOnd it. We lost our opportunity to
benefit the city through the careless
wording of the act-Chap. 204, Gene
raj Laws 1893.
What has happened to us will hap
pen to other cities. And unless the
act is amended there will not be one
city out of fifty that will ever be able
to purchase or put in a plant for
itself. We will be compelled to al
low the mOneycrats to fleece US. They
put in the waterwOrkS, electric
light and gas plants, and street rail-
ways, and we pay for it all-actual
capital, Watered stock, and triple in
tereSt.
We want national ownership of the
railroads and telegraph. There is no
better and quicker way of obtaining
it than to introduce public owner
ship on small scale first. Let cities
own their water works, gas and cleo
trio light plants, street railways, fuel
yards, etc. Wherever these are
owned by municipalities they have
been successfully managed. Let this
become the general experience and
the way to national ownership of rail
roads, telegraphs, and coal mines will
be short, and the end speedily at
tained.
Would it not be we'll if the farmers
alliance, at the coming annual meet
ing, would take hold of this matter
and begin an agitation of it? They
are interested, indirectly at least.
National ownership of these monop-
Olies which effect the farmer most
will never come about until we can
demonstrate that public ownership
and management on small scale is
a asuccess. TO show that municipal
ownership is success, we must haze
municipal ownership, and we can't
have that under the present Mime
sofa laws. Other states are hamper
or later the battle must be waged in
in each state.
Let Minnesota begin the agitation
this winter and the battle next. You
as president of the alliance can start
the ball rolling with great advant.
age. Next year it will be an easy
matter to present the same principle
to the peoples party, as it is in line
with IFS plotfOrm
P. j. SEBERGER.
x*
1 shall be glad to do all l can tt
carry out friend Seberger's sugges
tions. Should he pleased if the work
ingmen of St. Cloud and other cities
would appoint committee to attem
our annual alliance convention, which
meets in Minneapolis on Jan. 9th
and 1 have no doubt they will be &C
corded the courtesy of the floor, ant
could SO bring up this matter and se'
that proper resolutions were adOpte,
by the convention.
/ doubt if the adverse view takel
W oAN oOOOlh NY SOISl ol 10 WI W.
Section two does not say that the ds
gregate bonded Indebtedness of an
city shall not exceed FIVE percent o
the assessed valuation but "no cit
of this state shall at any time be au
thorized to issue bonds, or to incu
any debt or liability of any kind 70
any purpose, in excess of five pc
cent" etc. So that, under this phra
seology the city at one time could is
sue bonds to the extent of five pc
cent for the purchase of water works
and at another time could issue
like amount of bonds for the pul
chase of an electric light plant, ett
This may not have been the inten
of the men who drew the bill, bu
the language is capable Of that col