The herald., 1897-11-01
ties, If the city fail in supplying them.
are beyond the poor mans reach.

of American Municipalities" starts of
in common-sense manner, and with the
adoption Of American methods in the
prosecution Of it's designs. 1t will es-
tablish a central bureau of information,
and it offers membership to any city in
the United States or Canada upon pay
ment of fee graded according to said
city's population. Cities securing men,
bership are to send members of their
councils and aldermen as delegates to the
annual meeting of the league, which is
to be a convocation of business men in
pursuit of business results. From such
a non-partisan convention the amount of
helpful aid to be gained in the manage
ment of municipal affairs must neces-
sarily be great.
A canvass Of the views of the members
of the Columbus gathering. upon the
subject of municipal ownership, made by
representatives Of leading newspapers,
indicated, We are told, preponderance
of opinion against the prevailing system
of private or corporate control of public
franchises. But. very properly. no def
mite opinion for or against such control
was officially expressed by the conven-
ton. In fact, the convention merely in
dorsed the investigation undertaken by
Carroll D. Wright, United States COM
missioner of labor, to determine whether
there is economic advantage in munici-
pal ownership of water, gas and cleo
trio light, and simply pledged the CO.
operation of the league to make the
sought-for information complete and ac-
curate. In other words, in view of
the paucity of reliable data and informa-
ton touching the subject under discus
sion, it would be premature to definitely
express an opinion, pro or con, at the
present time.
While, as we have already said, pre-
ponderance Of opinion against private or
corporate control of public franchises
was expressed in the press interviews
had with the delegates to the Columbus
convention, there is another side to the
question deserving public attention in
matter Of so much interest and i'm
portance to the city taxpayer. Clinton
Rogers Woodruff writes, in recent issue
of Harper's Weekly, of some of the re-
suits of municipal ownership of public
franchises in Philadelphia that are not
be considered as some of the evidence in
the case: Says Mr.. Woodruff:
If private corporations can furnish
gas at 81 and make money. how is it
that the city cannot make a similar
profit? First, because business prin-
ciples do not obtain and political ones
do; secondly, because the city officials
do not push the business as private
corporation would; they wait for Gus
toners to come to them, while a pri-
vate corporation would go out after
them; thirdly, civil service rules do not
apply to the management; men are not
appointed because they know how to
make gas, but because, primarily, they
'can carry their divisions" Then the
city does not pay sufficient salaries to
attract expert men.
Mr.. WOOdruH cOncluOeS WIN tne as
sertion that "the solution of the problem
is to be found by placing the
(city) work on strict business and civil
service basis"
And, after all has been said and done,
is not that about the one thing needful
in the administration of the affairs of
nearly all our municipalities? 1t was
a philosophic statesman who, in reply
to the question, what form of govern
ment is best? answered.: That govern
ment is best that is administered best.
1t is not so much who controls municipal
franchises as how that control is exer-
cised. Private or corporate control has
its evils, city ownership and control has
it's disadvantages. Either, If conducted
ION a strict business and civil service ba-
sis" would, it is reasonable to be-
lieve, give satisfaction. Certainly
neither system would do so if controlled
by incompetent or dishonest officials.
The moral would seem to be: Eliminate
favoritism and the political pull" from
our municipal affairs and place the pub
lie works and run the public offices on
strictly business basis, and the question
of municipal service will have solved it.
self.