Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-08-26
WHAT SHOULD CITIES OWN

I'VVsHA - SHOUT g Il 1ITIH;s OWNPl
Subject Of Municipal Ownership
Ably Handled 81 Mayor Jones,1
Of Toledo. :s.5 .s=s.7
as Hon. S.. M. Jones' address at
the. national convention of the
league of American municipalities,
Detroit, Mich, Aug. 5, 1898:
1t has been popularity believed
in days gone by that a serious
menace to the perpetuity of our
institutions was to be found in
municipal ownership. I do not
remember ever having heard any
one specifically locate the danger;
but I am well aware that I, in
common with thousands of others.
once accepted it as a settled con-
clusion that the municipality, or
the government, either state or
national, should keep it's hands off
from business, business being
something that only. individuals or
corporations had a right to engage
in. If we define business to be
merely making money in order to
enrich an individual or set of in
dividuals, | think the point is we'll
taken. Such business should be
the prerogative of individuals and
private corporations, if of any
body. But when it comes to a
question of adding to the COM
monwealth, then every considera-
ton, both Of selfshness and mo-
rails, will agree that it is the bust
ness Of all the people, whether re-
presented by municipality, state
or general government.
| Henry d. Lloyd says: "Our
problem is paradox; we must
have pure government in order to
municipalize, and we must NUM-
cipalize in order to have pure
government" Through the work
that has been done in this very
city, Detroit, to control street rail-
roads and electric lighting, thous-
ands of dollars monthly of the
peoples money that were being
heaped up as private wealth is now
saved to the people. Sel6shness
has made, and will continue to
make, every conceivable effort to
keep the people from taking what
belongs to them, but we are rap
idly approaching a period where
history, not less than theory, is
coming to our aid. Public owner
ship is only another name for CO.
operation, and in Great Britain
and Europe, where they are older
than we, they have come to I'M
derstand that the good of the indi-
vidual can only be found and con-
served by seeking the good of all.
When Glasgow, Leeds and Ply
mouth adopted public ownership
OF the street railway they bettered
the service, reduced fares, short
ened hours of labor and raised the
wages of the men. Every city in
this or any other country that
municipalities it's work of improve
ment, substitutes day labor for
contract, gets better work, pays
better wages, and usually shortens
the hours of labor, not only MAX
ling money, but what is infinitely
of more Importance, making men.
The failure of the competitive
system to provide way whereby
all who are willing to work may
live, is now admitted by all
thoughtful persons, and patriotic
men and women everywhere are
eagerly looking for an improved
social order that. instead of de-
stroying the many in order to
build up the few, will provide
plan whereby all who are willing
to work may live in a manner be-
coming self-respecting citizens in
a republic of equals---that thus the
dream of the founders Of our gov
eminent may be realized and we
may hasten the day when we may