Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-22
PUBLIC UTILITIES.
Showing Of Advantages of Public own.
ership.

The question OF public ownership. OF
public utilities In fast absorbing at
tcntion. says the National Rural. and
when untrammcled by partisanshlp or
self-intercst the people are rapidly
reaching the conclusion that IL affords
solution to many problems. In the
first Instance. IL would be one OF the
most effective means that could be
adopted for doing away with much OF
the prevalent political corruption. by
removing the most prolific source OF
temptation.
AZ long as legislatures have power
TO grant special privileges In the way
OF valuable franchises. or have control
over corporations holding such fran
chises with power TO extend or curtall
their powers. the temptation on the
part OF corporations seeking such fran
chlses TO buy them or extend their priv
iieges by hribing Legislators or the
temptation on the part OF the irrcspon-
slble Legislators TO Eandbag CORPORA
lions. win exist. Also the temptation
on the part OF such franchise corpora
tions to control elections In their own
intoresets VIII be prevalent. The
temptation also TO corrupt juries and
Judges TO avoid paying damages In
damage suits. such ns now exists, would
be destroyed.
Every thinking person viii recognize
that these are the most frultf''l sources
of corruption In our polite system,
affecting all legislative bodies. from tho
Insignificant town boards to Congress
itself
Secondly. the principal basis under
| lying the success OF monopoly-namely.
railway rebates and determinations.
without which but very fow monopollea
could eNlst-would be destroyed. stand
ard oil and the coal combines undoubt-
edly owe their existence to discrimina-
ton In their favor by the railroads and
other transportation lines. The same
IL true OF others.
The argument advanced by Mr. Paul
Morton, In his testimony before the In
dustrinl commission In favor OF pools.
~ really an argument for public owner
ship. He said that a legallzed system
OF pooling contracts put "A premium on
honesty and makes It expensive for rail-
roads to make any OF the dlscrlmlnn-
tons or rebates which are now tho
cause OF so much complaint before the
commission" He stated also that II
would protect small shippers and small
towns to an extent which " not posi-
bic under the present methods. I'M
doubleday this IN true. The weakness
however, lies In the fact that the pub
lie dare not trust such a formidable
power In the hands OF a few men, who,
experience teaches, would use such a
power to benefit the few as against the
| many. inc DuDut IN Mlilluk
| To trust Itself. and II IL safe only to
| trust such formidable power to u peo-
| pies government responsible directly
| to the people.
Under public ownership II would be
| impossible for few big firms In Chi
| cago to get together every night as
| testimony before the Industrial COM
mission shows they now do. and fix the
| price OF grain for the next day. which
| can only be done through cooperation
| OF the railways. II In true the inter
| state commerce commission and the
| laws are very pronounced against CIV
| Ing rebates. but the railroads secretly
| violate these laws.
II also stands to reason that public
ownership would greatly reduce the
cost OF service. The vast sums which
every railway and other public corpor-
lions now provide for the purpose OF
influencing elections. maintaining lob
| bles and hribing legislators. also the
| salaries OF the many high priced law
| yors. many OF whom draw salaries
equal to that OF the President OF the
| United States. the waste OF competition,
| and especially the money which the
roads must now OF necessity earn to
pay dividends on enormous issues OF
watered stock, would be saved to the
! public.