El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-24
Politics Not a Dancer.
Buffalo Express.

D Buffalo Express.
The discussion in Buffalo of the ad
visibility of the establishment of q
municipal gas plant lends some inter.
est to the comments of one of the ablest
} economists in the United States upon
car service of that city. Prof. Henry
: G. Adams of the University of Micbi-
gan Ia not only an expert in the theory
OF finance, but he is especially familiar
with the history and development of
industrial tendencies from the middle
ages to the present time. Much of
| what he says about the situation in De-
cause he refers to municipal ownership
in it's broadcast sense. Here is one of
his remarks: "Whether regarded from
the nature of the service rendered
or of the conditions under which
they are operated, street rail-
ways must be olassed as public
industries; and, this being the case.
| owned and operated by the municipali-
ty or con trolled by commission sp-
pointed by the municipality, is the
only one to be considered. My own
opinion, arrived at with some reluc-
tunce and after many years of hesita-
ton, fs that the policy of public owner
ship and public administration has
taken into consideration, than the pro-
gramme of public control"
Prof. Adams does not enter minuteiy |
into his reasons for taking this posi-
ton, but his general view is that
monopoly in which the mass
OF citizens are interested as consumers
should be conducted more or less
directly on q democratic basis. He al
10 asserts that the movement in Detroit
Tor the transfer of the street railroads
20 the city is not an isolated question,
put is part OF q great system of in ,
1ustrial evolution that ia now in active
orogress. This, indeed, is the essence
II the theoretical argument for NUM- !
ipal control. The question of choice =
between private ownership under I
trict supervision as to prices and 9TH {
3 one of expediency, and, in the view q
Prof. Adams, there is more to be
aid in behalf of the latter than the Il
primer. This conclusion must be bas- u
In large part upon the relations of +
ne two systems to the political life of
On this point the 81
!ichigsn professor says substantially te
alteration. While municipal fran ~,
,ises are in the hands of private cor of
'rations there is every motive for the or
eruption of officials, but, on the 9TH n
hand, II the cities retain these fran. %
Uses, there Is nothing of Importance fe
'er which corruption can arise. in
But it is said that municipal owner ";
eat branches of the service into pol I
cal machines. That there ia any p
rious danger from this source is not tn
e opinion of Prof. Adams, who re- tn
arks: 1.-THE truth is that theideal of Oh
bile morality entertained by the Am fr'
lean people is infinitely purer and an
CHER than the ideal Of morality which an
ntrols in the business world" Ella nj
rating this idea, he says that under tn
lnicipal ownership there would be wi
solute publicity, an established sys- no
u of accounting and the unquestiOn an
right on the part of citizens to in an
stigate the manner in which the mu- ar
,ipality performs its public duties ed
rain, public responsibility is always tin
lowed by development of the sense wi
responsibility. The politics of cities
me under municipal ownership, III.
aply because greater honor will &C an:
npany greater responsibility and 90
re inducement will thereby be Of RI,
ed to a portion of the ability now fro
voted to private interests. Ma
The proof of this assertion is found nj
The demand that the government of IT
heW 'uepenuencleS OF Inc On1LeQ ire
ties shall be of the highest quality. am
hen any department of administrs- elf
n Is continually and prominently in is 8
Gyee VI One Puoltc, oniy 1ne oeso dis
ally given for that service. 1t will for
'dly be said that the postoffice de-
tment is not managed with success. 7
W much more insistent will the mo
ollc be that local business in which Gri
are Interested be conducted on eff cha
nj and comparison lines? TO-.