The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-08-16


The League Of American Municipah-
|. ties, at its third annual convention to
be held at Syracuse. New York Sep
TENDER 1922, will add materially to the
information now in circulation on that
most important Of all municipal ques'
lions, the public Ownership of light and
water plants. Nothing has attracted
more earnest public attention in recent
years than the municipalities Of public
service industries in this country. AS
the movement has progressed It has
had to meet a most substantial oppose
ton from those who do not believe that
Industrial enterprise should be attempt
ed by the government. Despite this
serious opposition, the movement has
grown rapidly throughout the United
States, until political parties have con-
sIdered 1t expedient to place in their
local platforms the most emphatic dec
laratlons in favor of municipal owner
ship. This question has been para
mount in political contests waged IN
New York, Chicago. New Orleans, San
Francisco, Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee,
Toledo and other large cities.
That the manipulation Of light and
water plants has gained ground rapidly
is shown by authentic statistics. Ten
years ago there were scarcely more
than a score of publicly owned electric
light plants in this country; to-day
nearly 400 municipalities own and oper-
ate works of this kind. In 1890 only
42 per cent OF the water plants in the
United States were publicly owned, and
to-day the percentage is about 81.
Municipal ownership, like all other
questions, has two sides, The arguments
both pro and con are well founded and
intensely interesting. At the two pre-
eeding conventions of the League Of
American Municipalities this question
has been discussed at length, but only
the affirmative side has been presented.
The programme committee for the COM
ing Syracuse convention have deter
mined upon plan that will bring forth
the most comprehensive and fairest
discussion OF this question ever present.
ed in this country. They have decided
to set aside one whole day for the
tratment Of the subject, and to have 1t
discussed from every standpoint. For
NAL papers presenting the arguments
for municipal ownership are 20 be pre-
pared and read by Mayor Henry V.
johnson, OF Denver; Mayor Tafel. Of
Cincinnati; Mayor F. G. Pierce, OF
Marshalltown, Iowa, and Mayor ]. r.
Robinson, Of Colorado Springs, Col.
Papers against municipal ownership
are then to be presented by Hon. NJ. A.
Guemunder, sinking fund commissioner
OF Columbus; Samuel insult, president
Of the chicago Edison Company; ]. B.
cahoon, Of ElmIra, N. Y, vice presl-
dent of the National ElectricLight AS
ISOLATION. and NJ. ]. francisco, Of Rut-
land, Vermont, who is probably the best
known and most active Of all the an
tagonists to municipal ownership. Fol-
lowing the reading Of the eight papers
an entire half day will be devoted to
n general discussion OF the question, to
be led on the affirmative side by Mayor
John Mac Vicar, of Des Molnes, Iowa.
Prof. Edward w. BemIs, the most con-
splouous advocate OF collectlveIsm in
this country; Mayor James D. Phelan,
OF San francisco Mayor r. H. Dudley,
Of Nashville, and others. The negative
side Of the discussion will be led by
Allen Ripley Foote, the well known
writer on economic questIonsi Robert
p. Porter, the former census supervl
sor; General Andrew HIckenlooper, OF
the Cincinnati Gas and Electrical Com
pany, and others,
The day of the convention set aside
for this interesting discussion is We'd
nesday, September 20, and 1t is very
likely that the eyes of the country, fig
urativeiy speaking, Will be on Syracuse
for that day.