The morning news., 1899-09-22
GOES TO CHARLESTON NEXT.
MUNICIPAL CONVENTION SELECTED
CITY BY THE SEA.

AtIanta'S Effort to Get It-Continued
Discussion of Municipal Ownership
of Public UuIities-AI the Speak
ers Favored It-MayOr johnson of
Denver Chosen President for the
Ensuing Year-smythe of Charles
ton Is One of the Trustees.
Syracuse, n. Y, Sept. 2l.-At the open
ing of to-days session of the League of
American municipalities the question OF
the pace of holding the next annual con-
vention of the league was taken up.
Alderman Hammond presented the
claims OF Atlanta, Ga, and Alderman Cor
man, those of Peoria, ILL., Mayor J. A.
Smythe of Charleston, S. c., extended the
invitation of his city. saying In the course
of his speech:
I'VE were the birthplace of secession,
but we stand to-day with every other part
of the United States. We showed it in
the glorious war just closed"
Charleston, S. c., was selected by vote
of nineteen cities as the pace of holding
the next annual convention.
Mayor George r. Perry of Grand Rap
| Rapids.
The question of municipal ownership
was again taken up. j. b. Cahoon Of
fered a resolution that a committee be
appointed to investigate municipal light
ing pants. The resolution also provided,
the president of the league approving for
the selection of an expert to be selected
by the National Electric Lighting Associ-
alton, which offers TO bear one-half of the
total expense, the total cost not to ex-
ceed 5000.
Mayor John Mcvicar of Des Moines con-
tinued the debate.
On Municipal Ownership.
Owing to the absence of Mayor Gustav
Tafel of Cincinnati and Mayor j. r. Rob
inson of Colorado Springs, the papers they
had respectively prepared on municipal
ownership were ordered read.
Mayor Tafel, in his paper favored mum
icipal ownership of public service indus
tries. He ins;anoed the management of
the Cincinnati water works by the city
i'm favor of such ownership explaining that
The rate charged for water was one of the
lowest In the country, although the works
were self-sustaining and the Indebtedness
incurred in acquiring The works had been
nearly paid off from receipts. He sought
to demonstrate that under reasonably good
management even under the spoifs system,
a municipality could supply itself with wa
ter more cheaply and abundanty under
private management.
He thought 1t was essential however that
the Merritt system should first be ntroduc-
ed to prevent the manipulation Of large
enterprises by politicians for selfish or po-
litical purposes In order that the best
results might be accomplished the greater
| Cf home TUlQ should he accorded
Giles rendering them secure against the
continuous meddling of state legislature.
The so-called federal system In his opinion
most nearly met the requirements OF this
scheme OF government By putting great
power into the hands of one official, the
Mayor the present unsatisfactory condi-
ton Of dividing the responsibility between
many officials would be.obviated. The ad-
minlstratiOn of our cities in their present
condition was in a few exceptions a re-
proach 10 our civilization and he he'd that
unless the best minds turned aside from
the pursuit of their business long enough
to assist in bringing ordinary business
methods and common honesty into the ad-
ministration of our cities the consequences
would be disastrous.
DIR. Robinson Favored II.
DR.. Robinson, Mayor of Colorado
Springs Col, also favored municipal own
ership. He said that actual experiment
had proven tnat 2 fnuulclpdniy might own
and operate A public utility 10 the ad-
vantage of It's citizens as compared with
the operation Of the same utilities by priv
ate corporations. II was true that there
was a time in the life of most young
cities with small populations when It
would be practically impossible for IL 10
assume the ownership and conduct of pub
lie service industries But in granting such
franchises care should be exercised to
safeguard The future and prevent the fran
cbise becoming the master instead Of the
servant Of the people.
II was inexplicable that cities a whole
took less pride In municipal than state or
national government and suffered under
wrongs with stoical indifference. With in
creased responsibility owing to municipal
ownership of public utilities greater inter-
est would be aroused in public affairs caus-
ing "A realization of the necessity of better
municipal government. which could be best
reached by wide extension Of the mer-
rits system. II was his opinion that
though the cost might be the same OF
private or public ownership the benefit OF
a higher morally in public life justified
ownership of public Industries.
johnson Made President.
AT the afternoon session certain amend