Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-03-05

ate all of the industries mentioned in the
question, III order for the affirmative to
prevail. Not that cities should own and
operate a water system and not the cleo
tric light and street railway Mr.. Cos
tCllO is very re1dyand pleasing speaker
He had his subject well in hand. The
drift of his argument appeared TO be that
some cities can own and operate success
fully one perhaps two Of tn" industries
but not all the cities can OWN and oper-
ate All of the Industries. The government
of the United States is not for the pur
pose of doing Ior the individual what the
individual can do for himself. Mr.. Cos
tello closed his argument in a very grace
full peroration. setting out the fallacy Of
the position Of the affirmative.
Mr.. lIerricll for Colby was then intro
durnd and spoke rs follows:
After summarizing the speech Of Mr..
Clcaves, Mr.. Herrick said:
cit will be our task to consider this
question now. socially The American
city is a distinctive product of modern
civilization. In the modern city. the
growth of these three industries has been
marvellous, their practices damnablr.
Americans do not love private monOpolies
Of public utilities. Whatever form such
monopoly may assumc,the results are al
ways the same The energies of Il grow
ing ami expanding society are diverted to
the service of Il favored class | shall
now consider in turn the effects upon So
ciety. of both private and public owner
few to reap unfair gains at the expense of
the many. Great inequality of fortune is
a social danger. In our country greater
fortunes have been made from these three
services than from any other branches
of industry, with the possible exception
of the federal railroads. and these fort
uncs have been taken from tho people.
by prices often hell unreasonahly high,
by service unreasmably poor These
monopoliStS are the Caesars Of modern
industry. who got their charters by what
ever means they could, and then forced
the people to pay tribute. These cOrpo-
rations for furnishing gas and the rest,
do not exist for religion or philanthropy.
they exist for gains and they get gains.
This is not then Il question for idle dis
cuSSion. We must deal with these corpO-
rationS whenever We are wise enough to
rehearse our innocent policy of allowing
them to deal with us.
Second: Private ownership allows the
evils of attempted competition. That sue
cessful competition is impossible we have
already shown.
The speaker then cited the instance of
Baltimore. relative to its experience in
the gas business. and challenged the OPP
ponents to name one American city where
there ha | ever been such a thing as sue
cessful competition
Third: Private ownership allows the
companies to dictate terms to the public
Light and water are Indispensable. We
might as well charter man to corner the
air and sell it by the cubic centimeter
to those who can afford to breathe. and
street cars are just as much the peoples
! highways as are sidewalks and streets
Yet as Gov. Pingree said: These necessi-
ties of life are made instruments of on
preston in the hands or those who rean
n rich reward from the weak and the
| helpless. Many instances are familiar
| lnnumerable of these corporations are no-
| ing on the presumption that the plhlic
1 is !, mine to be worked for all it is worth
till the lead runs out: But it may be
urged mat pubic control may correct this
| "a @ Il i..,
SHIFT; it can not destroy the antagonisn
of interests between the monopolists and