The Progress., 1893-02-04
THE COMING CHURCH.
REV. THOMAS DIXON SOUNDS AWARN
ING TO PROTESTANT6.

Unity and EarLcstncss Among the Masses
NEW YoRB, Jan. 29.-Rev. Thomas
Dixon, Jr, profaced the sermon of the
morning ir Association hall with a re-
view of the subject of themunicipal CON
troll of public franchises, with special
reference TO the proposed developments
of rapid transit in cities. He said:
The question of the granting Of great
public franchises to private corporations
in our cities is no longer a problem
merely of business or politics. 1t is a
moral problem as well.
Is it right for this generation 20 sell
the birthright Of generations yet unborn!
Have we the moral right to bind scheme
of fraud and oppression on children who
shall be born hundreds of years hence?
Have we the moral right TO sell the
streets Of a city TO corporation for 800
years? Is not such transaction on its
very faco n swindle which our children
have n right torepudiate even by the vio-
lence of revolution?
The question OF rapid transit and the
charters needed for its development is
now a burning one in many great cities
in America 1t presses with peculiar
force in New York-with force at least
equal TO the morning and evening jam
on the elevated roads. The pressure or
that daily scramble for life cannot be
adequately characterized 10y language as
yet.
Why should we seek to sell the charter
of any rapid transit scheme? The city
government has the money, and it can
command the brains. Let the people build
their own road and operate it in their
own behalf. Let Che legislature Of New
York at once authorize the city govern
ment TO build the underground system
and authorize the present rapid transit
commission to 10 the work. They are
competent men. The city has confidence
in them. 1t seems to me there are many
reasons why this should be done, among
them certainly these:
First-The municipal government Is
directly concerned in such transit facih-
ties first aud last, il matters not who
builds the roads. They must be built in
or under public streets. They must cross
and recross tine municipal authority at a
thousand points Of contact, and every
point of contact is a possible point of
conflict and of consequent possibility OF
bribery and corruption. The city gov
ernment only has full power to build
such public works. The development of
city depends more upon its transit fa-
cilities than upon any other one thing
perhaps. Whose business is it TO see to
the proper development of the city if not
the municipalities itself?
Second-The city has never taken from
private hands any public work but that
it has improved it and advanced the in
terests OF the whole people thereby.
Take, for example, the water supply.
With eli the corruption of aqueduct
Jobs our water supply is better and
cheaper than under private control, and
there can be found no man today fool
enough to advocate a return to the pri-
vate control of water. What the city
did for our water supply it can do for
rapid transit, and more.
Tbird-The history of the granting of
public franchises TO private corporations
in cities has been the history of bribery.
corruption public fraud. betrayed tlGsts
and the triumph in the end of some ras.
cal who had nothing to do with the con
ception or development of great enter
prises in themselves public necessities,
The city has not been able to protect its
rights against these corporate powers
And the swindled public have had no re
dress. Taxes have not been hghtened.
What else ceuld be expected? Corpora
tions are formed to make money, not to
benefit the pesple. Mon invest their
Pnent.
y Fourth-The history of the great ele-
waited railroad swindle of New York
should be warning sufficient to point
New York at least along the road of a
better life.
According TO incontrovertible testimo-
ny, these roads are capitalized on paper
at three times the sum it actually re-
quired to build them-that is to say.
the managers of these roads rob the peo
pie Of New York every year of the INFER.
est on that watered stock to the amount
OF at least S160, ,0O0, 900. And for this
robbery what do they give in return?
Just as mean a public service as a long
suffering people will tolerate this side of
a movement TO confiscate the property
People are made to stand up as policy
of the road
When they say they cannot provide
seats they lie This is shown in the
fact that on Sundays they reduce the
number of cars run until the people are
forced to stand up going down to church
Sunday mornings and returning Sunday
evenings They don't provide seats be-
cause it is cheaper to make people stand
up. They build one flight of steps at
station that requires two, and make peo- |
pie fight and scramble in crowds getting
mp and down because it costs little |
more to build and keep mp two flights of |
steps. They work their employees un-
mercifully seven days in the week be- /
cause they have the power to oppress
and are responsible to nobody. Does any
sane man believe that the children of the |