The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-01-26
FAIL Sc
FEAR OF
MUNICIPAL
CON TROL.

lighting plants was not advisable for the
reason that it would foster corruption.
lie thought that In case the city owned the
! telephone system, the street RAILWAYS and
the water and lighting plants the EMPLOYEES
would run the municipality and keep In
power any administration they chose to
favor. In order TO prevent legislation in
the direction of placing electric lighting
plants in the hands OF municipal govern
ments. and. we presume. In order to avoid
the corruption which he says would result
from snch IA policy, Mr.. Schultz frankly
suggests that a fund be raised by leyyIpy
an assessment against every central station
and that agents be sent to the capital of
every state during the sessions OF the lcris-
idtufes II is peculiar that when some per-
sons start out to prevent corruption they
seem 10 think a large fund" necessary TO
accomplish their purpose.
the essential weakness of Mr. Schutte's
position Is that he assumes that munlcinal
ownership Of street railways and lighting
pants necessarily involves operation OF
those plants by the municipality Such Is
not the case The municipality. Just rs soon
as II can do so, should acquire the t,tle of
the street railways lighting plants and per-
hans a few other enterprises similar in ma
ture- NO other policy is consistent with
these plants in It's control operation OF
them by the municipality does not follow
as natural consequence by any means II
the civil service Is In such crude condition
and political influence so dcSAiuant that the
city can not safely be intrusted with the
conduct Of business OF this nature or II
for any other reason IL is deemed mad
visabie to undertake tho task OF municipal
operation. tho plants can he leased for
snort periods TO private companies to oper-
ate. Under such conditions the city could
derive an enormous revenue from rentals
ana also would be In a position 10 require
service satisfactory 10 the public. The
chiet value Of street railway and lighting
plants consists in the franchises the cost
OF construction being In most cases COM
parativcly small The business interests
OF the city and the welfare OF the pnbllc
both demand that the municipality retain
control OF plants OF this kind rather than
deliver them over to greedy private corpor-
atoms
A word as To corruption OF politics
when Mr.. Schultz fears so much under a
system Of municipal ownership Tho most
potent Influence for corruption today ia the
desire Of private corporations to have In
places Of trust men who Will deliver over
10 them the privilege Of running street
cars. furnishing lights. etc Under tho
system 81 private ownership OF business
of this kind corruption is fa-
more rampant than II could be under
system Of municipal ownership. lr Is I'm |
order TO do away with "boodling" that he
must control certain lines of
business requiring special franchises The
water office Of Chicago may at times he
inefficient, though no more so than the |
street railway service. But as a corrupting
element In local politics the water office
under municipal control can not compare
With the street railways under private con