The age-herald., 1897-12-04
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
Strongly Advocated by w. H. Stanley as a
 Needed Reform.

To the Editor Of The Age Herald.
 If the agitation going on through the columns of your paper for dollar gas and cheaper and purer water will re- suit in the city ownership of the gas, water works, the street railways and electric light plant you have not labored in vain, but have been a benefactor to the people, but if the only result of all this agitation is s1 gas and filterer in the reservoir and the readjustment of the rates of the water company, then we have net accomplished much, and our relief will be only temporary. To one who has taken the trouble to inform himself as to the working of corpora tions will be surprised at them violating their contract. lit is only history re- beating itself. The American people should have long years ago stopped the men whom they had elected to office from giving away their rights and fran chises. Let us be fair with the corpo- ratlons and ourselves, and take plain, practical, common sense view of this matter. If wrong exists, let us set ourselves about fighting it in the proper way.
 Let Jefferson county elect men to the next legislature who will formulate and pass bill giving the people of Blrmlng- ham the right to vote on the question of municipal ownership. If they decide by their vote to own the gas works water works, street railways and cleo tIlc light plant, then let the judges of the courts of Jefferson county appoint appraisers to value the property of the different corporations above named; let them put fair valuation on the prop erty.
 Let the city issue bonds and buy the gas works water works, street railways and electric light plant. If the figures that have appeared in the columns of The Age-Herald from time to time are true, and I have no doubt they are, showing the profit made by the gas com pany, it must be equally true of the other companies. Then the city can is- sue bonds running for thirty years and pay them at maturity, principal and in- terest, without increasing the burdens of the people.
 While on this subject, let me say that The Age-Herald will strike at the root of this evil and oppose the mayor and aldermen giving any. rights and fran
 
 the people. And I hope at the next meeting of the mayor and board of al- dermen they will revoke the franchise granted to th9 new water company short time ago. I know it is not popu- lar to advocate municipal ownership, but I would rather have the approval of my own conscience than to be the most popular man in Birmingham.
 In advocating municipal ownership, have refrained from harsh criticism of any corporation. The officers of the most of them I know personally. They are my friends, and am glad to call them such, and I have nothing but the l0indest feeling for them; and as individ- uals, no man would rejoice more than would to see them prosper.
 But candor compels me to say that do not want to see a few men prosper at the expense of the many. Unless we have municipal ownership. the great mass of the people will lose interest in this controversy. There can be no tangi- ble reason given why the city should not own and control all the franchises that are at present in the hands of the corporations If they pay dividends to few why can't they be made to do so to the many. And if we are in earnest about this matter, as we should be, we will elect representatives to the next legislature who will give us the privf- lege of saying whether the people shall own and control their own franchises or whether they shall be owned and con- trolled by corporations
 w. H. STANLEY.
 Birmingham, Dec. 8, 1897.