Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-03-17
PLACED THE BLAME.

mittee of the Citizens Committee of
Fifty last evening, report was pre-
pared reviewing the work of the COM
mittee In its attempt to obtain better
conditions for the telephone urers OF
Akron. This report is published in
full upon another page of todays Dem
ocrat.
Eighteen months ago, after tine or
dinance granting twenty-five year
franchise to the local telephone mo-
nopoly had been railroaoed through
the Council, the Board of City Com
mlssioners, by unanimous vote, noti.
fed the company that its pretended
franchise was invalid and that any
attempt to proceed to operate under
it would be met with an injunction
For this prompt action the Commits
sloners won the appreciation Of the
people, and 1t was remarked upon ev,
cry hand that this one act Of the
Board in preventing subsidized Coun-
Gil from playing the peoples rights
into the hands of the monopoly had
more than repaid the taxpayers for all
that the Board had cost the city.
How three of the members Of the
Board afterward rcceded from their
position of regard for the interests of
the people, and proceeded to do all
they could to 'ratlfy' the franchise
steal and how the court finally de-
creed that they had ratified" the
steal, is q matter of local history, ane
need not be repeated here.
In its report the Executive COM
mttee calls attention to the action of
the mmlssioners, thus. 1T Is the
duty of your committee to state in It's
report that we have had no support
from three of tho City Commissioners,
Three Of them have, by their vaclllat-
ing, contradictory, and unwarranted
course, aided the Central Union mo-
nopoly to the full extent Of their Of
fetal ability and power so to do. Their
course against the interests Of their
fellow citizens has been ineXpllcable
and objectionable"
No stronger and more conclusive In
dictment of the betrayal of public
trust by servants charged with the
duty of its protection has ever been
written in Akron. The brief report of
the committee contains whole vol
ume of censure for the Proxy System
the system that has enabled the inter
ests desiring special privileges to havo
greater influence than all of the peo-
ple in determining the public policies
10 be undertaken and enforced Dy the
City Commissioners.
On great many occasions In the
past the Democrat has pointed out to
the people Of Akron the deploraple ef
fects of the system whereby con
trolling majority of men in the public
service have seemed willing to ex
change their independence as public
officials for the sordid privilege of be
ing permitted TO enjoy undisturbed tnt
muniments of their Office. An effor
has been made to give this accusing
skeleton in the municipal household
the cloak of responsibility and goo,
fellowship, but the hideous reality re
mains always with us to remind TIL
citizens of the decadence of reprcsen
tatlve government In Akron.
1t Is TO be hoped that the Citizens
committee, which was called into es
istcncc to protect the interests of onl
one class of the citizens of Akron, wi
be broadened into an organization tina
will benefit all of the people of Akro
by leading Il popular movement
rid Akron of the curse of governmer
by proxy 1t may he that this relle
cannot come until the legal restraint
upon representative government hay
been removed by the Legislature
there being no hope Of such actio
from the present session,-but meal
while the committee can be Of grei