The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-16
Some gentlemen have suggested munlc'
ipal ownership. tApplause.)
AS to Municipal Ownership.

E-lL4fE %EullClLlCiA = 80 p -
ipal ownership. tApplause.)
As to Municipal Ownership.
Ladies and gentlemen. | have no
quarrel with the applause Tor rnnnici-
nal ownership. j concede the principle
~ III fAppiause.) The government has
M right to empower any private agency
~ perform a function unless it be one
Trhict7 the government would be bound
stself TO perform If that agency were
NOT to be found. The only excuse for
,Arspowering a private corporation TO
discharge public function is the ex-
,,rlse that the service will be more eff
.s,The question, then, of municipal
ownership is a mere question of ex-
pediency.
..There are many grave questions to
be considered before municipal own
ership could be reduced 10 practical
operation, even Though We would no"
set about the task.
NOW. is there any practical remedy
that this conference can suggest that
can be put in force by any legislature
that happens to be in session? MY
friends. il seems to be a very simple
matter The fact is you would not
have the task of framing law 10 de-
= nounce special rates to individuals; mat
IS the law today.
FIX a Penalty.
"rTbe remedy is simply to define a
practical penalty. a serious one, and to
provide for the proper statute of pub
iicitv and you need not enforce the
nenaltv. An officer of a corporation
Granting a special favor to any person
Who has a right to use that possession
ON equal terms with everybody else
ought TO be held guilty of a serious
felony (Applause)
Now. with a statute authorizing and
making il the right of every shipper,
of every person using public fran
chise TO have disclosed to him at any
time every contract and agreement
made with any other person, you will
find there will be little difficulty about
avoiding the enforcement of the penal
statute, for it viii not be transgressed.
We want a simple statute of publicity,
and / believe that will check the spe-
cial fayors.
cooperation. Corporate existence is the
Natural evolution of the partnership;
tt is a scheme by which men, strangers
to each other, can cooperate in pro-
duction, while partnership was
scheme limited to men who knew each
other and were compelled to work to-
gether But the management of cor
porations has been the blacklist pages
our history. AApDlduS0.J
"Anl the public indignation, unfortu-
nately. which ought to be expended
upon the corporate management which
is responsible for this shame, has too
often been visited upon the Stockhold-
ers and the corporations themselves
who have been the victims of that in
fanny.
Remedy Is Publicity.
ssTo all this nv friends. the remedy is
publicity. A statute which would mod
fly but slightly, if at all, the existing
laws of every state, would make this
species of fraud impossible.
mo corporation has a right to Sc
crecy in the discharge of its duties. No
corporation anxious to perform honest
service to the public and its Stockhold-
ers will seek secrecy or will insist upon
st. Remember that this secrecy is not
invoked by corporate members against
the public any more than it is against
their own stockholders.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have but
TO provide a single, statute; first, THAI
any stockholder snail have the right to
examine the books of a. company and
know everything about its concerns, al
though he owns but one share. In adj
dition to that every corporation should
be compelled to file with the secretary
of state, when ii organizes, a statement
of property, and to let the public buy
at any capitalization it chooses to
make.
oEvery year it should report to some
competent authority a full statement
of its business That is the law today
il nearly every state, and it is always
evaded. The reports are misleading
where they are not incomprehensible.
Let these reports be fair, honest state
ments Of their business, and then finally
extend the powers of your superintend-
ents of insurance and banking to all
corporations, and let these reports be
verified, and then you will have hon
est management of corporations and l
promise you that this public distrust
and hatred of corporate entities Will
disappear from the minds of liberty
loving people. who are but seeking JUS
tice. even through their prejudice. "
lApplause.)
He Urges Cooperation.
MY friends, these are my sugges-
tons: Publicity for corporate manage
ment. prohibition under penalties for
special favors, right of action against
any corporation whose service is sus-
pended, except an absolute defense
proved that it was at all times ready
to discuss with its employees questions
at issue with them by agencies of their
selection.
Il am told, however, that if we pro-
mote this cooperation, we viii destroy
individuaiism. Individualism is another
of the phrases which have been spec
tally invented for the perplexity OF
mankind. Individualism, in its last an
alvsis. is savagery. The savage de-
pending on himself alone for his shell
Ter and his food: on the club from the
tree or the stone picked up by his I'm
aided hand from the ground, for his
weapon, is the most complete instance
OF individualism conceivable. Civilized
man depends upon everybody else for
his prosperity.
THE object of saYagery is to get a
weapon 70 beat men away from them
the object of civilization is the employ
ment and protection of the individual
and the cooperation of men. All men
are engaged in civilized life in great
scheme OF co-opera ton, in,whieh the
activity of every mans hand is of vital
Importance to all the rest.
No Fear of Socialism.
I'VE are told today that this closer
cooperation would bring around social
ism. | have no fear of that word. II
the greater development of mans NOR
atty and genius brings him SO far he
viii work as well for the common good
rs he would for his own, and we have
Just the same impetus for industry as
we have had Socialism would not
fr:gbten me- for. my friends / believe
that we are all bound together by one
common tie Of common industry in one
common partnership. Can fancy graf
ify itself, can pride indulge itself? Car
appetite satisfy itself without paying a