Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-22
AMERICAN MUNICIPAL LEAGUE.
Officers Elected and Charleston the
Next Meeting Place.

AMERICAN MUNICIPAL LEAGUE.
officers Elected and Charleston the
Next Meeting Place
Syracuse n. Y, Sept 22.-The third
annual convention of the League of
American Municipalities finished its
work and adjourned today The pro-
gram OF the convention was not fully
carried out owing to the unusual length
fof the papers on the municipal owner
ship question and other topics for dis
cussion
syracuse, n. ", sept. 22-At last
evenings session of the League of
American Municipalities. Charleston.
5. G., vas selected as the place for
holding the next convention and Off
GERS for the ensuing year elected
Charleston received 10 votes, atlanta
II, Grand Rapids I. and Peoria 8. The
following officers We're elected
President-Henry V. Johnson, OF
Denver
Vice observation-disclosures johnson. of
Fargo. y. u; Driscoii, of New Haven.
Conn, and Flower, of New Orleans.
Treasurer Mayor Charles Taylor.
Bridgeport. Conn.
secretary-B. F. Gilkison, reelected.
The question under discussion was
Municipal Ownership A paper in
favor of municipal ownership was pre-
sented by Mayor John MacVicar. of
4 Des Moines. ex-president of the ague
of American municipalities He thought
I that the principal briba-giver in cur
/ community was not the advocate of
municipal ownership. but in more than
one instance had been proven to be the
i representative of the private corpora
I ton. He had learned that 1t was not
i alone the city official Who was some
& times bribed but more often the So
! called influential citizen or the venal
4 press. BY gifts os money or stock and
+ by free service their Influences were
more frequently purchased than We're
/ aldermanic votes. In conclusion he
/ said.
i We. who believe in municipal re-
/ form. are in the paradoxical position of
4 proclaiming that our citizens are doing
badly HAT which they are doing, yet
Urging than they assume new duties.
/ Nothing could do more to bring out the
4 latent virtue of the Indifferent citizens
than freighting the ship of state, al
ready, as he fears. overloaded with
>.
4 would be Interested in securing the
greatest efficiency in the public service
and in a very short time demands
A would be made by quickened and en-
4 lightened popular sentiment for the
4 enactment of strict civil
service law SO long as the corpora
4 ton interests operate these public util-
4 titles for private gain, just so long will
we have uncompromising opposition to
\ lcivil service and good city govern
II ment. Remove first the incentive to
4 this opposition, which to my mind can
4 be accomplished by removing our pub
1 lie franchises from the public mart
and new era will dawn in which the
best citizenship will be the dominant
force in municipal government"
II Chief Engineer William r. Hill OF
4 the Syracuse Water Works Associa-
ton, also first vice president of the
Il American Water Works Association
read a paper on the Municipal Water
4 Works of Syracuse" Until 1892 the
4 water works of Syracuse were owned
5 by a private company and the city
could acknowledge that they had the
4 poorest and most inadequate SUPPLY oil
water of any city in this country. The
arrival of water from Shaneatles Lake
in July. 1894, was the signal for a
! marked Improvement in the genera
health and decrease in the mortality
because of the esta Adjustment of ar
ideal system of water works. Syracus,
!, was the largest city in the United
States that acquired and distributed it:
entire water supply by gravity. Since
the installation of this plant the fire in
surance rates had been reduced to al
amount equal to pay the interest on th'
bonds for constructing the works TIL,
income of the department. was sufficien
to pay the interest on the bonds, tn,
operating expenses and make an ex
penditure of 100000 for permanent con
struction, and meanwhile the waite
rates have been twice reduced, savin,
{ over 100000 to the consumers last year
Owing to the absence of Mayor Gus
tav Tafel. of Cincinnati, and Mayor J
r. Robinson. of Colorado Springs, tn
) papers they had respectively prepare,
on municipal ownership We're ordere,
read.
Mayor Tafel also favored municipa
ownership of public service industries
He instanced the management of tn
Cincinnati water works by the city IL
favor of such ownership, explainin,
that the rate charged for water wa
one of the lowest in the country. al
though the works We're self-sustainini
and the Indebtedness incurred in ac
curing the works had been nearly pait
49,