Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1898-03-19
CRY FRANCHISES.


Court of Cook County. If he will take
the nomination. has written the follow
ing able AMI Interesting letter on a sub
ject of vital Importance at the present
tive:
Secretary Of the Bureau of Labor sta
tistics. Springfield. III.
l beg to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of recent date. from which.
that l may conveniently meet your
wishes. I make the following extract:
What different methods. IL any.
from those now in vogue. should be
adopted in dealing with such city fran
ch!ses as gas. electric light. street rail
ways. telephones. etc?
"ln what way can needed changes be
effected?
ANY views YOU may have as to the
proper terms to be made with the COM
ianies seeking or already enjoying
these franchises. or as to the needed
changes in our city charters. to secure
better protection to the community. in
granting or regulating these franchises.
and your criticisms of existing condi-
|
welcome"
After some years of careful study.
and q resort to most of the available
sources of information upon the sub
jcc.. | am convinced that the very de.
cld,l weight of intelligent and unbias-
cd opinion favors the view that the
ownership of all fixed property devoted
to the purpose of providing matters of
such prime and universal necessity in
urban life rs water. heat. transit and
communication. should he In the pub.
lie.
There IL some division of opinion up.
on the question whether such property
should be operated directly by the
public through It's own officers. or by
private persons or corporations. under
general public supervision. In my
opinion the latter method of manage.
ment Is. for many reasons, prefera.
bic.
The public IL not now. and probably
never will. In free country. he as well
and economically served. in matters Of
detail. rs private individuals or corpo.
rat.ons: and 1t seems to me certain
that. for reasons suggested by the
sOundest public policy. the number of
appolntivc public OfficehOldcrs should
not be Increased.
The power to enforce the rigid dis.
cipline and unquestiOnlng obedience to
superlors. 40 essential to the success.
full conduct Of great business enter.
prlses. cannot safely be entrusted to
one citizen over another In their rela.
tons to the public. In respect to which
superlors ana subOrdlnates are un.
known.
The necessity and unavoidable ten
dency of such system Encouragement
into fields where It may sap the foun.
dations Of individual and political In.
dependence. or to the assertion Of the
Equality of all citizens before the law.
to the impairment OF the obligation Of
implicit obedience Of the employee.
In my opinion all such property
should be owned by the public. but op
Grated ana managed by private per
sons, either ns individuals or corpora
lions. under such contracts or arrange
mcnts as will measure private profit
by economy In manage ment, AMI cheap
ness ana perfection Of the service e
the public.
In the present stage Of the investl
CATION Of this subject. Il II substantial
~ agreed on all hands that the system
suggested II, In theory at least. the tru,
one. The only objections now serious
~ urged to II are based upon the as
scrtiOn that II Is impracticable.
This assertion cannot be well found
cd unless It II supported upon one o
two grounds: either that the law denie
the power to adopt the system or tina
funds cannot b. found to carry 1t Int,
effect.
AS coming within the range OF Or,ll
nary professional study ana knowl
edge, l am prepared 60 assert with tn
utmost confidence that there II 10 lcg;l
. or constitutional barrier to the cXer
else of the power of adopting the sys
TEN: but, rs the reasons which supper
this proposition may be found In al
unbrOken current of decisions of court
of the highest authority. readily access
lille In any lawyers library, ! will M
trouble you with a statement Of the!
here.
Some writers upon this subject, vii
concede that II the field We're not u
ready occupied by private corpora
lions, under contracts, whose ODiigN
lions may not be impaired by law, tn
public might enter upon such an enter
prise, find In that circumstance an II
surmountable obstacle to the adOptiO
Of the suggested system.
The power of the State to control til
use OF public highways In such maj
ner as shall be most conducive to III
interests of the public Is one which cal
not he alienated or bartered away.
And Its rights to change the metl
DDS of improving or using such higi
ways. or the agencies through whic
such improvement and use shall Il
made. so as 10 fully meet varying col
dltiOns In population and the needs q
advancing civilization, Is everywher
conceded.
The same unlimited discretion upO
I this subject, which fifty years ago Jul
tilted the selection of private cOrpOr'
tons as agencies for improving street