The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-10

because II you do II will attack you at
every point. The first epithets applied
TO you Will be mild ones. such as populisis
II this does not answer the purpose you
VIII be called socialists. and IL you are not
entirely driven from the field OF the pub
lie domain the final argument against you
will he that you are anarchists. A cheap
and vulgar method OF attack upon you. If
you seek to carry practical reform into
politics. will be that you are demagogues
You can devise all sorts of schemes for
reforming your friend. neighbor. or cous-
in. or his man servant. or his maid SER
want. or the stranger that Is within his
gates. but you must not enter the sacred
precincts where the public piunderers are
playing hgh-tOned game with marked
cards and loaded dice. and demand that
they show their hands. Unless your health
is good and your courage Is above par and
You come from "a stock that has cXpecta-
tion of long life, whatever desire you
may have for sport, you had better keep
near the shores of the duck ponds ana fish
for minnows and not venture out where
the whales and the sharks are sporting
In some cities. the speaker admitted.
remedy seemed almost impossible.
The city of New York, where the Origi-
nal Jake Sharp had his day. is a notable
example. a franchise was given In that
city for ], 900 years The aldermen who
sold it received 100000 apiece. The man
who bought 1t was sent to the peniten-
tiary. Was the franchise declared void
or fraudulent? Not at all. Somebody
had obtained some vested rights A
contract had been made and you know
it would not do to wreck the constitu-
tion by fmpairing the obligations of a
contract. If Jake Sharp had stolen your
horse and had sold II. and the man who
bought it had sold 1t again. and 1t had
been sold and bought a thousand times,
you could recover 1t wherever you found
1t II you could prove that 1t was your
horse. Neither the thief nor the re-
ceiver could obtain title to a horse
stolen in the night time. but he who steals
a franchise worth millions of dollars In
broad daylight, has the title confirmed
to him and his heirs and assigns for
ever. The thieves die and sleep with
their fathers, and the owners of the
stock of the road become more and
more respectable by receiving a profit
of 3h cents upon every scent fare"
But, lin case the conditions are such
that the rates cannot be reduced by
competition the plan Of municipal ow
nership of tracks can be tried. The peo-
pie own the streets. The city paveS
with wood and stone and other mater
rial for the use of ordinary vehicles.
No reasonable argument can be urged
against the city paving portion of the
streets with iron for the use of the
street cars, which are the peoples car
riageS."
The Ultimate Remedy.
Mayor Pingree's conclusion is that
the remedy for municipal evils. of which
the abuse of franchises is only one. rests
with the people and must be applied by
them at the caucuses. Heretofore"
said he 1.-The caucuses have been run in
the interests of few. The salvation of
municipal government, and of all gov
ernment, lies in the people assuming
the burden themselves. This right is a
vested right which no constitution or
law can take away. The children OF the
nation attend schools and colleges;
millions of dollars are spent In their
support. What are these schools worth.
unless the children are taught the true
republican doctrine of government?
After they are taught they must act for
themselves. We have national codes
and state codes and municipal codes by
the ton. We need a few more. A prac-
tical primary-election law Is more i'm
portant than all the rest. The law
should provide that no man should vote
at general election who does not vote
at the primary election The days on
which elections are held should be legal
holidays, and a fine should be imposed
upon every citizen who does not have
interest enough in the city in which he
lives to spend ten minutes once year
to take part in It's government"