The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-02
MUNICIPAL
OWNERSHIP
OF Public Utilities a Prime
Requisite
To Better Government of Amer
lean Cities.
DIES MOINES' MAYOR
DES MONIES MAYOR
Delivers His Annual Address as
President
Of the League of American
municipalities.


Outstanding about the place Of meeting,
not all the delegates were present when
the second annual meeting of the
League of American municipalities was
called to order. About 200 were in the
proper hall, viz: the Light Infantry ar
mory, while a scattered few assembled
in Light Guard armory, three blocks
distant. Governor Pingree was among
those who waited at the wrong place,
but he delivered his welcoming address
later, nevertheless.
Up to noon, 200 visitors Identification
cards had been handed in and possibly
100 more representatives of American
municipalities had arrived. q
Mayor Maybury cordially welcomed
the city's guests.
The president, Mayor John McVicar,
of Des Moines, Ia, after short re-
Spouse, delivered his annual address.
Pres. McVicar's Address.
President NcVicar said in part:
American cities must be made whole
some in every sense of the word. They
must, if such thing be possible, be
made to conserve and not consume the
energies they draw from the country.
They must have no SlumS to pOIIute
the currents of their own lives, and the
life of the nation. The garbage ques-
ton, the enement question, the water
question, the franchise question, the
question of parks, public baths, play
grounds, and other means and 1nStru-
mentS of public health and recreation,
must be studied in their larger relation
to the preservation of the life and
health of our great republic.
I'VE are at an early stage Of the
movement; the country has but recent
ly awakened to the need of it. Some of
the matters alluded to are for future
generations to adjust.
AT the threshold of the agitation we
n fra1
of the sovereignty of cities. 1t seems
necessary as a preliminary to eliminate
from our cities the private ownership
of franchises for the mOnOpOliZed use
of the streets. The public must own
and operate all plants for the supplying
of light and water. Probably it should
extend its powers so as to take in street
railways, heating plants, telephone and
other means of instrumental cOmmuni-
cations. At all events there must be an
end to the controlling and cOrrupt1ng
of our city governments by those inter-
eSted IN the manipulation or puDllc
comfort, even if the last Vestige of pri-
vate ownership in them shall be up
rooted. If these valuable franchises,
these splendid privileges, were reserved
to the cities would not this source of
corruption which has caused legislative
bodies to become by-word among
the people, cease to exist?
ITO my mind, it would be suicidal to
enlarge the functions of municipalities
without providing for the thorough ap-
plication of the merit system in ap-
pOintments, promotions, and removals.
We who believe in municipal reform
are in the paradOxica1 position of pro-
claiming that our cities are doing badly
that which they are doing, yet urging
that they assume new duties. But the
logic of our contention is better than it
seems Nothing could do more to bring
out the latent virtue of the Indifferent
citizen, than to freight the ship of
state, already, as he fears, overloaded,
with still dearer interests. I am not
afraid to start1e our money making vO-
tiers by producing a situation which will
alarm them into a state of perpetual
political vigilance They need to be
alarmed. Arouse them to the serious
ness of the prevailing conditions, and
the spasmOdic energy which now cleans
the Augean stables of municipal COR
rupt once in ten or fifteen years will
be harnessed by unavoidable necessity
for regular activity.
80 long as the corporate interests
operate these public utilities for private
gain, just so long will we have uncom-
promising opposition to civil service
and good city government Remove
first the incentive to this opposition,
which to my mind can be accomplished
by removing our public franchises from
the public mart, and a new era will
dawn in which the best citizenship will
be the dominant force of municipal
government"