The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-25

hospital. One day a chaplain from an
Ohio regiment, a preacher in his church,
called on the general at his quarters.
When about to start the general said:
You nave an hour or two TO train time;
suppose you go to the officers hospital and
see Brother Fuller. He is gong to die,
and he would be pleased to see you; and
call as you return and report his condi-
ton The visiting chaplain went, and in
an hour or so returned and reported: He
is a very sick man, but he is not going to
die soon; he is not ready to die"
mot ready!' exclaimed the general in
surprise. mot ready! Why, he Is one of
the best men | ever knew. If he is not
ready, who is?"
30 so far as fitness is concerned. he is
all right, but he is not ready TO die. l
had a pleasant conversation with him, Sc
cured several important messages for his
family, read a Scripture lesson and had
prayers with him, all of which he seemed
TO appreciate; but when 1 rose to depart
he beckoned to me to come nearer. He put
his hands around my neck and pulled me
down to his mouth as if to tell me some
thing important that he had forgotten-he
cannot speak above his breath-and said. in
broken sentences: L wish-the Lord
would give me-more confdence-in Andy
Johnson Now, any man who is fretting
about Andy Johnson, bad as Johnson is,
is not ready to die"
Any municipality that is so absorbed in
mere trifiing affairs as we are is not ready
to adopt the municipal ownership of public
utilities. What Is true of Indianapolis is
lIut, dlSO, VI NEW 1OIk, Chicago anu all
municipalities that are governed by the
nontaxpayers of the corporation. Not a
man who knew the work done four years
ago. just before the election. on the
"Pogue's run improvement" and what 1t
cost and the way 1t was done, doubts that
any responsible contractor could have done
d better job for half the money. No one
will doubt that the OUTLAWS for plant and
management of the water works or the
street railway is less than half it would be
If owned and managed by the city, while
the city is in the hands of those who own
nothing that is taxable and who dictate
what expenditures are to be made out of
the revenues which other people contribute.
BY actual count in Indianapolis two-thirds
of the voters pay no taxes whatever, not
even a poll tax. and this is probably true
of every municipality in America of $1,000
and upwards. Are we ready TO own and
control any public utility, much less such
large and expensive ones as the water
works or the gas or street-railroad system
while so large a majority of the controllers
have no interest in ii but to get money out
of it? Imagine the street railroad in such
a management Fares would come down
and officers would be multiplied. There
would be a superior for every possible
and the property of the city would be taxed
to make up the deficiency. No; We are not
ready.
But the worst phase of the question is
we are not trying TO get ready. Like Gen.
Eakin's sick chaplain, we are more inter-
ested in other things than the one impor-
tan one. StUUN the SITUATION III THE light
of the current city campaign, as Indicated
in the candidacy for mayor. First 1t Is as
sumed that he must be elected through
party machinery, whereas party politics
has nothing more TO do with il than it
has with the management of a railroad.
The functions of a mayor are exclusively
commercial He has not a prerogative that
can any more affect the political rights OF
any citizen than can the prerogative of the
president of the Big -Four Railroad affect
its employees and passengers. And any
and all of these have the same right TO
dictate the management of the road as
has any taxpayer to take the manage
ment of city affairs. And what next? The
machines of the two parties have already
taken the matter In hand and we are eX-
pected TO dance to any tune they choose
to pipe. They have even secured a So
called primary election law, that is de-
sigend TO perDetuate the supremacy OF the
PARTY machine. and up to this date the
only question with either is who can OBJ
tain the largest part of this controlling
two-thirds of the voting population. And
then what 1t seems TO me hardly an open
question. Mr.. Taggart has never failed 20
muster the largest following, though the
Republicans have pitted against him the
test I'm a presidential election, when the
national policy promises better times TO
the n-ontaxpaying fraternity, is no index
to results when the question Is VINO VIII
most lavishly disburse the revenues the
taxpayers provide? If we must be shut
up TO the prevailing heresy hat party pol
itics have a legitimate place IN the man
agement of municipal affairs. why may
we not draft some successful business
man? We have scores of them; they are
not seeking so responsible a place, but II
the call came from business men they
would accept. yet the machine knows them
not.
This is why we are not ready for munic
inai ownership OF public utilities. The men
would manage them who have no interest
in them beyond the money they could get
ont OF them at the expense or those VINO
nav taxes. But municipal ownership will
come. The n-ontaKpayers will force IL
upon us long before We are ready. Ii Is
not pleasant TO contemplate the disasters
this policy will entail upon US. but there
seems 10 be no other way TO bring us TO
our senses. II will not always be that tax
navers will submit to such an outrage.
Relief will not probably come in one decade
or i'm two. but the experiment OF a century
more I'm this way will produce a revolution
that will result in the taxpayers controlling
the business OF the municipal corporation.
Then municipal ownership or public utilities
will be a blessing to all. Possibly the
throes of New York and chicago at this
writing may hasten the overthrow OF the
Not one of all the slum element in those
cities which make life and property UNSAFE
NAYS any tax. yet they dictate the Of
fcers that collect and disburse taxes. We
diner from them in degree only, not In kind.
While I believe one manly, heroic resist
ance OF the taxpayers now would postpone
the calamity. IL seems evident that nothing
As likely to wholly prevent II out a further