Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1899-05-04
SOME OF THE BENEFITS
OF MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP DIS
CuSSEO BY MAYOR JONES.
Private Ownership Of Public Utilities IL
Public immortality, and no Leglsla-
ture has the Moral Right TO Grant
Such Privileges,


as gas, electric lighting, street'car
service, telephones, eto2
| A. All natural monopolies should %
publicly owned, and such monopoles
us you mention should be municipality
owned, because In the first place, thoy
cover class of necessities that avc
common TO all OF the people. 1t mSy
be- urged that the poor do not need
gas, electric lighting or telephoneh,
etc, but In the most just order OF So
ciety, into which we are coming, these
utilities will be as accessible 10 the
poor as they now Ure TO the rich, II
Is no stretch Of imagination TO say thai
many poor person has died simply
for want Of n telephone to reach doc
tor quiclsly, and the only substantial
reason why the poor man should have
telephones and other things that are
now considered luxuries Is found in the
fact TINT they cannot have them, I'M
just economic conditions have placed
them beyond their reach, ] fancy that
the time will come when the social
needs Of n city will be 30 perfectly un-
derstood that the telephone will not
only be publicly owned, but publicly
paid for, and will be as freely used by
all classes OF citizens rs are now the
streets, street lighting, the protection
OF Gre and police departments, and
public school education, Man Is so
cial being. We have not yet begun TO
take In the profound philosophy Of the
statement that mo man liveth to him
self II we have prosperity that is
real, we all share II; in like manner
whether we will or not, we all share in
the adversely which TO our short-sight-
ed eyes may seem to affect only few.
A second end perhaps the best rea'-
son why these monopolies should be
publicly owned is found In the fact
that private ownership OF public
ntility is public immortality. No leg
slative body has q moral right to farm
out privilege granting certain indi-
viduals the right to rob the people
while pretending to serve them. Per-
haps the word rob" may be cxtrava-
CANT in this sense; but mean to say
that no moral right is lodged in any
legislative body to grant privilege to
u corporation to make profit from the
people by providing social necessity,
when this class OF service is the mani
fest duty of the people According to
any Just conception Of democracy, 1t Is
one Of the imperative functions Of gov
ernraent To evade it or avoid it by
granting franchises or leases of privil-
eges Of that kind is Sinking of re-
sponsibility on the part of the leaders
amounting tonothing less than crime
against the people.
@ Do you believe that it is wise and
proper for municipalities to make rea-
sonable preparations for free lectures,
free music, baths and other agencies
which tend to elevate and dignity man
hood and minister TO the healthful con-
aition Of the mind and body Of the cit
zen?
A. II 1t is wise for the state to pro-
vide for n system of free education,
which has been done, then all the rea-
sons that have been urged for that
form Of Socialism may be brought for
ward in support Of a proposition for
free lectures, free music, free baths,
free Fairgrounds, free gymnasia, etc.
We are beginning to see that we have
been making narrow use Of the word
education; whole lot of stuff has
been called education that did not ed
ucate. We have separated life into
fragments, and TIE fundamental fact
is ever before us that life is u whole,
and we are coming TO accept doc
trine of the absolute unity of the en-
tire race. This is because Of our bet
ter conception of democracy and
brotherhood, and as this idea of unity
takes possession of us, we see the nee
essity of having every social unit as
nearly complete, as nearly perfect as
the socialized energy Of the municip-
atty, state or nation can make him.
The acceptance of the idea of DEM
ocracy involves dismissal from the
mind Of any thought of class or classes
and this degrading notion has always
hindered the progress Of the world.
The idea that few of us are endowed
with the "divine right of kings" and
are especially fitted to govern or rule
what we have called the lower classes
is undemocratic as we'll as unchristain
and Of course unbrotherly; and worst
of all, unscientihc. Emerson says that
"the entertainment OF the idea of de-
pravity-that is the last proAigacy and
and profanation; there 10 no atheism
but this"
II we are democracy, we must be-
lieve in the people; there is no escape
from, Tint nonoluaion to IVA haliaua in