The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-24
KEEP THE FRANCHISES.
Advice of Judge Brown Quoted in
Street Railway Case.

To the Editor of the Globe
Some months ago l extended my thanks to
the u o for having had the courtesy of
its columns granted to me for a discussion
OF a question Of general Importance to its
readers. At the time 1 remarked 1t was a
gratifying thought that there was at least
one daily paper not so completely under the
domination of vested interests that it dare
not permit the use of its columns for the
discussion OF subject upon which its man
agement held adverse views to those OF the
contributor.
l take this opportunity to relterate the SEN
tlments above expressed, having had another
proof this week of the utter subserviency Of
certain paper to the dictates Of the bust
ness management. I desire at this time to
call the attention Of your readers to the sub
Ject OF street railway legislation in this city,
and, in passing, 1 might mention the mass
meeting called for Monday, the S1st inst,
at Market hall, for the purpose OF protesting
against any further extension of the fran
chises now held by the present street rail-
way company, or the granting of any new
ones
The time is not far distant, with cheapened
motive power and improved methods of con-
structon, when fve-cent fares will be con-
sidered exhorbitant charge for street car
service; then why should we tie our children
and our children's children down to O stipu-
lated rare for another fifty years? Is It not
time we made move rather in the direction
or municipal ownership and turn into the city
eXchequer, for the benefit of the people at
large, the profits which now go to pay in
terest on bonds issued against the fran
way company, and which never cost the COM
pany cent If you can spare the space, 1
should like to publish the following quotation
from an address delivered by Judge Brown,
of the United States supreme court to the
graduating class of Yale law school June "a
1888. 1t may serve to awaken a train Of
thought in the minds of your readers upon
this most mOmentOus issue:
II the gcN ernment may be safely entrusted
with the transmission Of our letters and pa
pers, l sec no reason why it may not be in
trusted nj
grams and parcels, as is almost universally
the case in Europe, or Of our passengers and
freight Through state ownership OF rail-
Ways as IN Germany, France, Austria,
Sweden and Norway. II the state owns its
highways why may 1t not also own it's rail-
ways? If municipality owns it's streets and
keeps them paved, severed and cleaned why
may 1t not also light them, water them and
transport its citizens over them, so far as
such transportation involves a monopoly of
their use? Indeed. wherever the proposed
business is of a public or semi-pubIlc charac-
ter and requires special privileges from the
state, or partial delegation OF governmental
powers-such. for instance, as the condemna-
ton or land. or special use or disturbance
OF the streets for the laying Of rails pipes
or wires-there would seem to be no reason
why such franchises, which are for the sup
posed benefit of the public, should not be
exercised directly by the public. Such at
least is the tendency of modern legislation
IN nearly every civilized country but our
own where great corporate interests bv MT
ting prominently forward the dangers Of pa
ternalism and socialism, have succeeded in
securing franchises which properly belong to
the public.
The fear. too, that these monopoIies may
be used for political purposes has hitherto
proved an insuperable objection to their ex-
ercise by the state, but the development of
civil service reform has been so rapid and
satisfactory that its introduction into this
new field Of usefulness would follow as a
matter Of course. and would greatly obviate
the most formidable difficulty in the way of
the proposed change.
Should the assumption of these natural
opportunities by foreign states and munich
pallties prove as successful as they now
promise the question which will confront the
legislators of the twentieth century will be
not whether these extensions of governmental
functions are socialistio IN their tendencies
but how long this country can afford to lag
PEN behind others which we have been taught to
look upon as conservative and inert"
IN all thoroughly well-informed circles II
goes without saying that Judge Brown is
among the most conservative federal Judges
yet there is no mtstaking the Significance OF
the above language, and 1t may be accepted
as fair indication OF the present trend Of
public and judicial opinion
St. Paul. Jan %, 1897 -''-