The Forrest City times., 1902-08-29
TR[ MUNICIPAL LEAGUE.
Sixth Annual Convention of the League of American Municipal
 ities at Grand Rapids.
AN ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT ASHLEY.
He Advocates Home Rule for Cities With No Interference Fly the Stnte, and the Right of Each Mu- nicipaIity to Control the Public Utilities.

Grand Rapids. Mich. Aug. 2S.-Two hundred delegates were present at the opening session of the sixth an nual convention of the League of American Municipalities, in the fur niture exposition building. By Tues day, il is expected, there will be 200 more delegates present. making the convention one of the largest ever held by the league. An address of welcome by Mayor Palmer of Grand Rapids opened the morning session This was followed by an address by President Charles :. Ashley. mayor of New Bedford, Mass.
 MT. Ashley said that much thought and discussion had been given 10 the subject of municipal administration by the members of the league, and they had been the cause of pro voking concentrated attention to the question of municipal ownership. Continuing on this topic, he said:
 Home rule for cities. No dependency of the city upon the state Each munici- pality should be law unto itself upon the matters purely local Me should have right to own and control the public util- ities.
 "I ask you to note that I say have the right to own for l do not undertake 10 say that at this time in every communi- ty it would be a feasible thing to exer- else that right. but in the very nature of things IL Is a privilege which We should not be longer denied. Competition in the products of the public service corpora tions, too often means that consolida tion will follow and the consumer eventually pay all the bills.
 Pure monopoly means that the price To n4r H Hpd y1ttll ha for ha pac1ty or the debtor to pay.
 Regulated monopoly through the in- strumentaIity of the state is q farce and practically amounts to iegalized bunco.
 The right to enter into the field with municipal ownership provides a means of saying to the oppressor, be square and price to you, II not, We ourselves will pay to ourselves, buy of ourselves and the amount expended will be that which is of itself right ana not what you extort.
 This would come pretty near regulation that would regulate. and the regulator is the party naturally and rightfuity the one to do II. An experience of eight years in the maEoralty has brought me face to face with the state and it's servants as well as with the great companies and their officers: l am referring to the arbi- trary acts of great organizations. to un- reasonable schedules and rates of charges; to high prices and poor service to eVer- lasting greed, big profits and soft snaps If il is true that an individual or d firm Is entitled to only what is fair as re- turn on q business investment 1t is equal ly true that great corporations which ex- ist by the license of the state and are the creatures entirely of the law, have no in- herent right 10 receive more than what IS right and just.
 Great public utility monopoles are fer tile in resources and learned in trickery The field being granted to them ostensbly to protect the people from the ultimate results or competitive warfare: the sup ply of water being enormous 10 make a large dividend shrink to figures nominal ly respeC table the bond issues being toated and all the machinery and devices for concealing assets having been set in motion, the state in its wisdom creates it's boards and bureaus to restrict, regulate and control.
 poor; the size and strength of the state arm when raised in behalf of the city s people Is weak. in the words of the song You can hardly notice It. at all
 do not urge municipal ownership as a club to exterminate. but rather as means to a remedy and a solution With II you can light and heat your own civic household, and ride in your own streets and ways and lead your electric wires wherever electricity Sas a duty to per form.
 'I charge no corruption upon the agents Of the state; the fault Is In the system; they are not. by the tenor of their ap- pointment. subject 70 any control of the city; they come in daily contact with the companies and their representatives and they learn to think as their visitors think; they lose their identity as citizens themselves and have come to regard the tune,
 Give us home rule for cities. independ ence or the state in matters of purely lo- cal concern freedom from guardianship and the right to do We will with our own