New-York tribune., 1900-01-29
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
DEBATED BY GOVERNOR PINGREE AND
O. 7. YERKES

DEBATED BY GOVERNOR PINGREE AND
@ 7. YERKEs
Chicago. Jan. 2S (speciaD.-Governor Hazen s.
Ptngree Of Michigan and Charles T. Yerkes, the
street railway man. debated before the Marquette
Club last night Municipal Ownership o. Street
Railways and Other Public Utilities"
Some of the things that Governor Pingree said
follows:
Forget for while that you or your friends or rela-
tlves own stock in lighting or street railway
Seek the motive of those who oppose municipal
ownership and you will almost invariably find that
Many, seeking public ONCE advocate municipal
ownership because 1t brings them votes 1t is a
popular issue But they are rarely sincere in their
The man who is convinced of the justice and prac-
or a Of 9a4 4nlcpaI uni i ownership and wishes to
easily disco9raged He viii be called a "Popuist"
socialist" "demagogue."
more than three hundred varieties of Undertakings
sooe ana businesses now engaged in by
res. museums, armies naves, postoffices. lighting
At the beginning Of the century there was only
50 per cent of the waterworks owned by munich
In few years there will not be private water
supply corporation in existence
Two decades ago there were no public lighting
hundred.
THE ACTUAL SAVING.
In Detroit the cost per street arc lamp under the
year under municipal ownership the cost was $40 90
OF course agents of private companies try to
prove all municipal plants failures But their
Water light and transportation 20 are the three
great pubic necessities. Public ownership OF the
{iIf 5HFo 70 heng assured the last transportation is
There can be nothing of more general or extensive
or necessary public use than street railways.
the people reelaiming what they have given away
to a favored few individuals
tic s py E IN soS With property belong
gains away the ase Of the Streets Which are the
property OF all the people.
street railways leads naturally to municipal owner
ship OF drug stores drygoods stores grocery stores
Probably the objection to, municipal ownership
greater ter G8TTgption 9Ha5 in city goysr9Rmeat
gard for their own pocketbooks will be the most
ment.
CORRUPTION WOULD BE LEssENED.
I know from personal experience that there Is
inhn1teH more more + corruption now under private
be under public ownership OF public utilities.
tions is the direct in nearly city Of the
most dangerous form of corruption, namely brib-
it is that those citizens who rarely attend pri-
Of municipal ownership are many of them parties
gndirectly perhaps) to the corruption surrounding
While Mayor of Detroit I was offered $4,000 If
Of town sgd a66 m sfS T bfeo%e 9 or would be out
nature At another time, I was reliably informed
induce me to sign a street railway franchise for
hd9.a 0hiss vas FSst secured in ity
received $4,000 apiece for their Pl votes oe mad
Those who have been intimately associated with
may not be in possession of facts sufcient to Sc,
cure conviction. know that scarcely franchise is
1t is also well known that candidates for Alderman
select n
ductors and motormen on street railways. This is
but another way OF paying for their votes upon
franchises.
POsTMEN INDEPENDENT
ing for the city it is impossible for boss to con-
case of postmen Postmaster enaTs IN the the
United States once told me that oficiaIs of the
1uence and control the votes of the postofice en-
Ployes throughout the country, but found 1t abso-
i believe that public ownership will purify rather
tics and municipal governe3 nj be IN poll If
municipal ownership leads 10 a more enlightened
municipal by the eeop under sud N
circumstances deception and fraud become less pos
A third objection to municipal ownership OF street
economically under private ownership. where the
incentive to eeonomical on m management Is SO much
This objection is absolutely without foundation
ee ei beI6nd 0ks nan and lighting
to the consumer Is very much less under public
Reliable figures ascertained by persons who have
had no personal financial interest in the subject
demonstrate that the charges of private water
panies in the United States average 43 per cent
more than the charges Of public water works for
similar service.
NEW-YORK'S EXAMPLE.
Take the case of the Metropolitan street railway
lines in New-York City. At the time the figures
of track was S,1S00o0. The market capitalization
81 225 600 per mile, while the cost OF duplicating
the system did not exceed 100000 per mile
You will thus that there were twenty-five
parts market value to part actual value. In
other words there were s2.125,O00 water in the
market value and 81 900 water In the capitalize
ton for each mile Of track.
Is 1t any wonder that the New-York lines
Obliged charge high rates of fare in order to
interest and dividends upon so much water
I firmly believe that the time has when
street railways be operated successfully and
inent under three cent fares If at cost by the
CITY the fare be reduced 10 two cents in most
instances.
MR. YERKES TAKES OPPOSITE SIDE
Mr. Yerkes closed the discussion speaking against
municipal ownership. He said In part
There can be no doubt in the unbiased mind
that If the great corporations of any large COM
he municipal otherwise, a great political ma
chine would be formed, and that IL would almost
he az lmpossibility TO disrupt that machine The
n,r1ber Of persons who would be subservlant to
+bs leaders could only be estimated by the courage
snr iniouIty that would be contained in the minds
~ those leaders. The merit system If fairly ss-
IA blished would give TO some extent an inteili@
sl,. ing Al