The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-03

Charles Richardson, of Philadelphia,
opened the discussion of the afternoon with
paper on Municipal Franchises" In part
he said:
Long before the attention of the people
was called to the subject shrewd fnanciers,
professional politicians and party bosses
had foreseen the harvest of wealth and po-
htical power to be reaped by those who
could control the giving of municipal fran
ch1ses. The financiers saw vast returns for
small OUTLAWS and unlimited opportunities
for stock watering, stock gambling and the
manipulation of market prices. The profess
sional politicians saw how they could con-
troll their workers and henchmen by OBJ
tanning for them special privileges, patron
age and profitable employment from com
panleS depending on municipal FAVOR. Inc
party bosses reckoned upon lavish contri-
buttons from the treasures of such COM
panieS, and the political support of the
thousands who would own or deal in their
stocks and securities. The process of cap
turing franchises from the agents of the
some cities there seems to be little left for
the pubic to control In many places the
local government is SO bound and helpless
and so entirely dominated by the public
service corporations which it has created
and nourished that many of the voters now
regard it as powerless to promote their in
terests and unworthy of their respect or
support. The lack of wisdom and fore
sight which has been shown by most OF our
may be fairly likened to that Of a tribe of
Indians selling for a few beads the land
which would have yielded them an ample
and permanent support
Mayor Samuel III. Jones. of Toledo, o.
took the opposite view with regard to
municipal franchises, and held that they
should be owned and operated by the city
Said he: "Candor compels me to say that
the paper we have just listened to deals
with the subject of municipal franchises
from what is ordinarily regarded as broad
and liberal standpoint The arguments, pro
and con, have been fairly stated, and dis
cover no attempt to do, anything other than
to give fair consideration to this subject.
With all due respect for the opinions that
have been presented, feel constrained to
announce myself as being unalterably OPP
posed to any grant of municipal franchises
for any purpose whatever, and take this
position as a. matter of principle. maintain
that the idea of granting franchises to pri-
vate individuals or corpora tions to minister
to city in social necessities is as wrong
In scientific theory as 1t is mschleVous ana
destructive of what is best in municipal life
in practice. The whole idea of granting
special privileges to few people to make
profit off from all the rest of the people is
undemocratic. and, consequently, is opposed
TO, and stands in the way of, progress
toward the realization of our loftiest and
best ideals-the equality OF all men before
the law.
81 know of no better way for this league
to study the municipal problem than for it
to adjourn and go in a body to the City
Hall, where we will come face to face with
the municipal problem as Mayor Taggart
this and every large city of our country
sees it day after day. 1T is the problem
L
day morning and this morning, and / saw
the same sights that see in my own city,
that are duplicated in the corridors and
public offices of every city in our country
scores of hungry-looking men, upon whose
faces are plainly written the lines of hope
less despair. And what special privilege, or
grant, or franchise, do they ask? Only the
privilege that is, as / have already said. the
inherent right of every man-the right to
work; When this right is once secured and
the place where man may work Is as cas-
lily found as the place where man may
vote our problems will be solved. for this is
our municipal problem 1t is our state
problem, it is our national problem. 1t is of
infinitely more Importance to the people
than the question of national finance or
revenue or even Of our foreign policy and
what to do with the Philippines. When the
right to work is as well established as the
right to. vote, the dream of democracy VII
be realized. Democracy has not failed.
Like Christianity, 1t has not yet been tried.
We must first know what 1t is before we
can begin to practice it. Let us take Walt
Whitman's conception as the Ideal towards
which we will strive.
" I speak the password primeval.
I give the sign Of democracy
BY God; 1 win have nothing
That all cannot have their counterpart OF,
on equal terms.
'I hail with delight the signs that l dis
Germ that the long night of bondage is pass
ing away The morning, when liberty
shall be proclaimed throughout the land to
all the Inhabitants thereof, is dawning."
VIEWS OF A KANSAS MAN.
The formal discussion of Mr.. Richardson's
paper was closed by Edward w. Benlis, of
the University of Kansas. Mr.. Bemis re-
garded the public ownership Of street-car
plants advisable in some places, though in
others it would not be beneficial. 1.-THE
trend" said he, lis away from fifty-year
or longer franchises to about twenty years
or less, both in this country and Europe
1t has already been noticed that Ohio re-
pealed her fifty-year Rogers law after two
years and Illinois is demanding the same
action regarding her similar fifty-year Allen
law passed in 1897. The latest municipal
charters are those of San Francisco, which
restricts street-railway franchises to twenty
years and Of Minneapolis, which restricts
all franchises for ten years. The special
committee on a model city charter reported
in favor of limiting all franchises to TWEEN
ty-one years"
AS a general proposition Mr.. Bemis re-
garded municipal ownership as desirable,
lack of progression. Experience alone could
demonstrate the wisdom of this objection;
What little experience municipalities had
had discounted this objection.
A. l.. Mason, of this city, in closing the
discussion said that he predicted that the
league would in the next few years.
we'll as the city, pointing out that the con-
ditions that obtain in the small town, the
country or the borough, were similar to
those in great cities, and should be under
like form of government.
Resolutions were adopted, referring back
to the committee of ten the model charter,
with instructions to complete it for presen-
tation at the next meeting, and inviting all
interested to make such criticism and sug-
gestion as might aid the committee, which
Is authorized to fill vacancies and increase
its own number. A resolution thanking the
Governor, mayor, Commercial Club, In
dianapolis Women's Club and the citizens
of Indianapolis for their hospitality, was
passed. A resolution favoring the appoint
ment of a committee to investigate the sub
aSnlAlt report
methods of breaking down combines and Sc
curing competition, was referred to the ex-
ecutive committee, as was q resolution pro-
viding for a uniform system of accounting
by corporations answerable to the munich
pality, introduced by Mr.. Foote, Of WASH
ington. 1t has been the custom under the
bylaws to elect officers at the May meet
ing This year the May meeting was post
poned because of the war. BY resolution,
the present officers and committee will be
continued in office until the next meeting
OUTSIDE THE MILE SQUARE.