The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-21
WlSCUEISIU,
PUBLIC FRANCHISE BILL
GIVING COUNCILS POWER tn
AMEND OR ALTER THEM
AT WILL
SWAMP LAND INDEMNITY ACT
would Close a Large Area for
Homeseekers and Put 1t
Into the Hands of
Spectators.
SWAMP LAND INDEMNITY ACT

Ni-ADloON' WIS, Jan. W-(Special) y
Assemblyman John w. Owen, of Racine,
Is the father of a bill that will be
OF interest in cities and villages strug-
gLng with the question Of franchises.
The bill provides that all franchis IS
heretofore or hereafter granted Shall be
subject to amendation or alteration nv
The common councils or board of trustees
OF the respective cities or villages. Mr.
Owen says that the bill, if passed. will
stand the test of the courts. 1t will af-
rect specially such corporations a. street
railways, electric lighting and telephone
companies.
TEXT OF THE MEASURE.
Under the constitution the Legislature
now has the power to amend franchi es.
but Mr.. Owen proposes to delegate that
power to the local body of the city or vii
lage government His bill follows:
IA; An act granting power to common coun-
ellis of cities and trustees of incorpora.
ted villages to alter franchises heretof0ra
or hereafter granted by said cities or
Vl1TIaages to persons or corporations
The people of the state of Wisconsin
represented in the senate and assembly,
do enact as follows:
o6 section lmP4Wer Is hereby given to
tees of Incorporated villages TO altar
franchises heretofore or hereafter grant
ed by such cities and villages to persons
or corporations.
Sec 2-This act will take effect and ho
IN force from and after its passage and
publication. anu
The bill was referred to the mmit-
tee on cities.
The object I have in view is to project
cities and villages from corpora lions ;;
said Mr.. Owen. "a new town is often
likely to give away long term franchises
mat at the time of granting are fair to
the town, but few years hence the town
grows and conditions change. At other
times corporations go before common
councils and by unfair means obta. n
unreasonable franchises and the public
is helpless because its rights have been
given away. Sometimes franchises are
given away without due cons: Iteration
and when the village board of common
councils find out their error it is too
late The law I propose will do away
with these difficulties. If a board or
council makes mistakes, it will not be
too late to correct the error and modi v
the franchise to something that IS reason
able and just. If the peoples rights are
not protected by dishonest Representa-
tives, when a body more trustworthy
and less corrupt is chosen by the people,
the wrong of the past can be r.ghted
There is no intention to revoke or re-
peal any franchise that has once been
granted. The purpose is to regulate them
and to place the villages and cities in
a position to govern the terms of fran
chises from time to time, as conditions
may require. 1t will lessen the tend en-
cfes of corporations to spend thou sands
Of dollars to secure valuable conces sions
| to which they have no right and which
can only be obtained through bribery,
| and I believe that on the whole the law
| will encourage cities and villages to erect
| their own plants to operate municipal
| utilities. 1t will enable villages and cit
les to fix the price of street car far s
and also of telephone rates and regulate
! the terms of electric lighting"
The following is the full list Of bills
introduced in the assembly Saturday:
BY Mr.. Keene-Providine for hio,,..o,
elections in cities of the second tbir5 IA
fourth class, and fixing the saIaI5esd i ~
officers. oS u
BY Mr.. Miler-Relating to the rates, =,
passenger railroads. VI
By Mr.. Owen-Granting power to com.
mon councils and village trustees To Ate,
franchises of corporations
BY Mr. Duerrwaechter-R ting tn th<
collection of expenses of inmates of asV.
lums whose support is chargeabIe r.
counties. :.
! BY Mr.. e. A. Miller-Relatng to til.