The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-30

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
It may be a great piece of presumption
for a layman to venture a suggestion to so
eminent body of experts as are to dis
cuss this week the many problems involved
In the managing Of city business, falsely
called city government, seeing that each al
ready has his topic assigned him and his
paper prepared, but there are to be future
meetings of the league, and a great many
of them before the question is settled, and
If there Is merit in my suggestion 1t will
be utilized in some form in the sweet by
and by, though it may be century before
the people shall have been prepared for it.
Abstra ctions materialize slowly, because,
generally such hoary wrongs as underlle
the management of municipal affairs yield
only to the logic Of events. / mean to dis
parage the many excellent papers read and
the remarks made at the late commission
which discussed township and county bust
ness methods only by comparison when I
say that Professor Goss was the only one
who struck the proper note, and he did not
insist on It's application to the business in
hand. 1t would be difficult to put more in
formation relevant to the management of
local business in fewer words than he did
when he told how business corresponding
with our township and county business is
conducted in many European states that
he had visited, and which he contrasted
with ours, and there was great significance
in the opinion expressed that if any rail-
road or insurance company conducted BUSH
ness as these local corporations do the
stock would not be worth 10 cents on the
dollar.
AT the bottom of any substantial reform
in city or county or township business must
be the recognition OF the fact that cities
and counties and townships are corpora
tons only, not govsrnments, and that they
a cold business mission We talk of a city
government; there is no such a thing. No
city can make or unmake a single law
affecting the life or liberty of a single in
dividual any more than q railroad or in
surance corporation can. These exist only
they represent. They buy lands, build
machinery, lay tracks and insure property
on the terms prescribed by law, and no one
not owning stock interferes. Men ride on
the cars or take out insurance without
once thinking of debating methods. II is
to be presumed that their stockholders
profit their customers, while carefully con-
serving their own interests and we deal
with them accordingly, but neither city,
town nor county does business in this way,
but we apply our doctrine of popular SOW
ereignty TO The improvement of streets and
the owning of this plant or that, when IT
is known that not one-hal1 of those who
impose taxes ever pay ! cent. Sentiment is
a good thing in its place, but It cannot
run a bank or insurance company or man
age railroad or city business without disas-
trous losses. In other words, some future
municipal league VIII not so much dis
cuss the little incidents Of plant ownership
or the tax for street Improvement, but how
10 put the business Of a city, or county or
township into the hands of those who In
vest money in the necessary expenses. and
not in the hands of those whose only aim
is TO live off the taxes they impose. This
unnatural. unbusiness-like method lies at
the bottom OF all the. financial embarras-
ments. of these civil corporations. The time
for grossly discussing the proposition in
such a, league as meets here this week has
hardly come, but 1t will come before public
business is managed as corresponding bust
ness is managed in the most prosperous
countries of Europe. Such questions as are
given out 20 the distinguished men this
week axe harmless, and ali attempts TO