The Washington times., 1894-03-21
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP OF STREET
RAILWAYS.

BYA II believe that street rail-
MrvRrp Of ways should belong to mu-
nicipal governments, be-
cause they are a public
FROM necessity, and public ne
K,xs,s cessities should belong to
and be managed by the
people. On the same ground the people
should own and control their own system of
lighting and their means Of water supply. in
order that the service may at all times con-
form to the will of the people. 1 believe that
street railways should belong to the people,
because corporations are not mindful of the
public convenience, or even the public safety.
Corporations are notorious for their neglect
of the use of safety appliances when it is
matter of cost TO themselves, and they are
usually SO rich or so influential that they are
above the reach of the law until the public
grievances become too great to be borne.
would not permit corporations to own or
manage street railways, because through
greed of gain they are too much in the habit
of overworking their men, compelling them
to work so many hours that they become in
efficient through WEAKNESS and loss of sleep,
thus giving rise to numerous accidents and
frequent loss of life. Tired men are never
safe or efficient. Yet as the corporation stock
is bought up by men for gain only, and they
are determined to make the most possible, in
the very nature of things they pay their men
the lowest possible wages and work them the
longest possible hours, to the great detriment
of the service and great danger to the
public.
All these things can be avoided if the people
own and operate their own street railways.
Instead of public gain and big dividends, the
sa ETY. and convenience of the people will
become the first thing to be looked for. Street
railways owned and controlled by the people
may be made to pay good dividends on the
actual cost without charging as high rates as
corporations charge when trying to pay big
dividends on wa;ered stocks and various
forms OF ver-capitalization, SO well known
to corporations. l am told that in the hands
OF corporations stocks often rise as high as
200 or 300 per cent. above par value. In such
cases there is great temptation for corpora
tons to oversell stocks for the profit there is
people, there would be no such temptation;
but, on the other hand, the charges to the
public would be reduced, and wages of the
men working on them could be raised and the
hours Of labor reduced. As one may well
see, all manner of sufety appliances and
all manner Of public convenience would be
more readily adopted when the roads were in
the hands of the people and the inordinate
desire for gain has been eliminated.
As applied to this city, 1 am of the opinion
that no corporations now holding charters or
franchises should be favored with an ex-
tension of time, but in all cases they should
be compelled to surrender all rights and
franchises and vacate the field at the
earliest moment that it can be done without
violation of contract. And still further,
would hold all corporations now managing
railways to the strictest account, as to the
violation of the terms of their charters. and
in all cases where contracts are violated by
them to the detriment of the service and the
safety of the people would declare charters
void and compel them to surrender their
charters TO the people. In my opinion the
safety and convenience Of the public should be
the first consideration and the subject of gain
should be secondary. In every view that we
may take OF the matter, it will be seen that
the public ownership and management of
street railways by the people Is by far the best
and cheapest plan. JOHN DAVIS.