The representative., 1901-11-14
TOO LITTLE PUBLIC
BUSINESS.

Why cannot Kansas City own and op-
crate the street car, water, electric, gas,
telephone and other public systems
You will say that she has not the money
that it took the money of New York
and other centers to make the great inn
provements Well, then, If those other
centers have the wealth, why do they
not own their similar industries? When
Will it come that any city is rich enough
Shall the people forever have to borrow
capital? Kansas City has already paid
the capitalists five ti1aes the profit on
these things to have owned the1n, and SO
have other cities. And the owners OF
these franchises have been the ones. and
the only ones, who have bodied the
vice, and they will continue to do so
as long as they are permitted to own
and control these essentials to city life.
People would take much more active
interest in politics if these things were a
matter of politics. Most people are rot
able to find anything in politics that jus
tifes their taking an interest in them,
but if all these things were public prop
erty they would run up against the pub
Tic function so often that they would
soon find their interest in public matters
were of much concern and they would
take an interest aside from whooping
it up for some friend, and then caring
nothing about what the elected were do
ing until the next election. The politi-
clans have soft thing now, for they
know the voters take no interest in pub
lie matters, because there is nothing in
It for them. But if these franchises were
operated by the public there would be
something in it for them, to see that
they were conducted for the public good
The trouble with politics today is, that
there is so little in it that hardly anyone
not candidate will pay any attention
to them. The more public business the
more people will take an interest in pub
lie affairs.-Appeal to Reason.
Kansas City is not alone in her ex-
perience with private ownership of pub
lie 1nonopo1ies. Minneapolis has had the
same experience Our citizens elect a
city council, or think they do, and, after
election, majority are found to be
street railway tools. Ordinances favor
able to the private interests of this cor
poratlon pass with no effective opposi-
ton. Ordinances looking to higher tax
alton of the street railway or reduction
in fares are easily defeated The peo-
pie watch these results and try to rem
edy the evil by electing a new council.
The new council proves to be under the
same influences until finally a few of
the more discerning voters conclude that
public utility corporations do, in fact, in
all large cities, place in nomination their
friends for members of the city council.
The corporation makes the slate and the
people vote it through. When will the
people adopt remedy that remedies.
Mayor Pingree. Sam Jones and Tom
Johnson are mayors who did much to
oppose corruption in city government.
Mayor Ames, of Minneapolis, is doing
some good work along the same lines,
but mayors cannot make laws; they can
do little more than veto bad laws and
expose the rascals, and all these men
have done good work in this way. We
need this class of men in our law-mak-
ing bodies. but their names never appear
on the corporation slate When will the
people have a slate of their own?