The Louisiana populist., 1897-08-06
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.
AND OPERATION OF THE
NATURAL MONOPOLiES,
senator Butler Discusses Public Utilities
question from the Populist Party
standpoint-Posltion Is Tha. of Reas-
on and Common Business Principles.
(By Senator Butler, OF North Carolina,
Populist.)

Populist.)
The question whether such publ
services as lighting by gas or electric
lty, and street car transportation an,
the furnishing of water to every house
hold should be lntrusted to privat
corporations or controlled directly b,
the municipalities, is one that is at
tractlng a great deal of attention Th
principle OF municipal ownership o
these natural monopoies is one tha
Is steadily growing in favor in ever!
quarter of the union. To have pur,
water furnished at low cost; to have
good gas or electric lighting facilitie.
furnished at reasonable rates and ex,
tended to every quarter of the city; tt
nave prompt and efficient street cal
service at cost not greater than il
costs to furnish the service, are three
questions that concern every resident
OF town or city as vitality, if not
more so than.any other three questions
pertaining to city government. To
nave these important services cheap
and efficient is not only of vital con-
Germ to those who live in a city, but
is the best possible advertisement and
lnducement to bring desirable addi-
tlons to city's population and busi-
ness enterprises. That these import
ant functions, supplying vital necessi-
ties to city's welfare, should be put
In the hands Of two or three private
monopolies, often foreign capitalists
| Will use these monopolies with view
solely to their own profit. is unbusi-
nessilke, to say the least-it is worse
than that, 1t is folly, it is suicidal. As
a rule the cost of these necessities can
be reduced upon an average more
than one-half over the entire country,
and each city furnish the people a
better and more reliable service.
Nearly every city today where pri-
vate monopolies hold these important
functions and franchises would change
at once to municipal ownership if a
majority of the citizens could express
their will and have it enforced. The
fatal mistake is made when a city
grants these franchises to a private
monopoly. At once the monopoly
wrings from the public enormous
profits to control the city elections
and city government. Soon the peo-
pie find that they can not elect any
man for mayor, councilman, or alder
man unless he is man too friendly to
the interests Of these private monop-
olies. The money and monopoly will
proceed to rule the cities-the voice
OF the people will be defeated, II not
drowned and hushed.
A few days ago while the writer of
this article was In New York attend
ing the Grant monument exercises, he
was very much impressed with the
inefficiency of the car service of that
great metropolis. He asked citizen
of the city why there was no electric
or cable street car lines instead of here
and there an anteqpated horse car line,
to help the elevated roads to move the
great surging mass of humanity to be
seen in that city every day. He point
ed to the elevated railroads and said:
They will not allow it" then asked
him II cable and electric companies had
built surface roads and gotten estab-
lished first If they would have elevated
roads. He said mo; If the cable and
electric road had been built and they
had grown strong enough to control the
city government then we would have
no elevated roads. They would not de-
sire any competition, and would want
all the business themselves, and what
of the public they could not accom-
modate, might suffer and walk and 20
unaccommodated."
This tells the whole story. A city
foolingly grants an important public
franchise that concerns every citizen
to private corporation. The fran
chise Is monopoly, and then CORPORA |
tion becomes monopoly and use the |
franchise not for the public interest |
except as the street interest can be |
served to put money into the pockets
OF the private corporations. OF course |
the private corporation uses it's mo-
nopoly to make immense profits and
then uses these profits to control the |
city elections and city government.
and thus we have the spectacle of
street railroads, gas and electric
plants and water works running the
city in the interest Of the private
owners OF the public franchises in
stead OF the city running these import
ant functions in the interest OF the
,ity and its citizens. There is but one
remedy to give the people justice and
o purify politics; and that is for the
,ity to own and operate these public
franchises. Surely if reason, common
sense and common business principles
ire to be observed, soon these reforms
must come in every city. Thus It will
,e seen that the principles OF the Peo-
,le's party apply 10 the welfare and
not only Of the farmers and
country population, but applies also
qually strong to the welfare and in
<>S thN orfI |