The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-05
The Question of City Ownership.

Under the terms Of a recently enacted
law Governor Pingree has appointed
commission to estimate and appraise
the value of the existing street rail-
way systems in the city of Detroit,
with view to their purchase and oper-
alton by the city. The validity or the
law has vet TO be tested and inasmuch
as the street car companies do not want
10 sell and will fight with all their re-
sources the effort Of Governor Pingree
and his following to force them to sell,
il may be a long time before the strug-
gle will end. Nevertheless the episode
will call up for general discussion Pin
gree's favorite subject of municipal
ownership and in this way it will be
educational. Those who agree with
pingree that the cities of the United
States should own and manage all pub
lie works resting upon municipal fran
chses present as their principal argu-
ment the statement that such owner
ship would insure a service directly in
the interest of the people, offering su-
perior accommodations at smaller costs
than at present. This il the substance
of the affirmative argument for city
ownership. Theoretically it is not con-
trovertible, if we assume it to be the
proper function of the city to supplant
private enterprise wherever it can.
But on practical grounds, taking into
account the prevalent conditions of
municipal politics, the general charac-
ter OF the men who control ward and
city primaries and elections or who af-
terward control the men elected by
them, and the lack under these condi-
tions OF an effective organization of
honest and intelligent public sentiment
sufficient to enforce honesty and fidel-
ity in the public service as it is en-
forced in the great majority of in
stances of private service, there is
room for vigorous dissent. 1t is true
that private corporations now fire.
quently secure valuable public franchis-
es by corrupt means and fail to give to
the public owning the franchises just
equivalent either in taxes or in SER
vice. 1t is true that private enterprise
occupying this field exhibits as a rule
numerous shortcomings. Street car
companies, for example, do not run cars
enough at busy seasons and do not keep
their cars or tracks in the best condi-
ton; telephone companies secure
against competition are inclined to be
stiff as to prices and curt as to ccm-
plants; water and light companies,
save in exceptional instances, consider
their own interests first and the inter-
Of oft
a thousand other possible indictments
of private enterprise protected by
monopolistic franchises are In the main
true and no opponent of city ownership
who is honest and fair can gainsay
them.
Eut where there is disease it does not
follow that there should be blind haste
TO experiment with the first glibly Of
fered remedy. The Objectionable fea-
lures to private enterprise in control of
public works can nearly all be traced
directly to the monopolistic character
of its franchise grants throw open and
keep open the door to competition and
the Objectionable features disappear
rauidly. \ monopoly is monopoly,
whether run by board of corporation
directors or u board of councilmen or
mayoralty appontees; and monopolis-
tic characteristics invariably out-crop
in either case. The city-owned street
railway would reflect in it's business
methods the mental and moral caliber
Of the men in control of the city hall.
and it, as is alleged, such men now
sometimes sell themselves or give
themselves away, leaving the public in
the lurch, they would be just as apt to
repeat the trick when clothed with ad-
ditOnal power.
The franchise wisely leased under
lust conditions is the ideal toward
which reformative effort in this matter
should tend, and if agitation can force
city ownership, which is not desirable
it could with equal ease force the leas-
ing system, which is.