Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-06-07
Public Ownership OF Public

OAAdAt
A plank in the recently adopted
Democratic state platform of Kansas
declares as follows: I'VE stand for
the ownership and operation of all
public service functions by and in the
interest of the people. This policy
is particularly recommended by the
platform in the case Of cities that
may desire ''to own and operate their
water or light plants or transporta-
tion facilities.
This is the first time that the Dem
ocratic party of Kansas has taken an
open unequivocal stand in favor of
public ownership. Hitherto The adj
yocacy of this policy has been confined,
to the populists. Republicans scoffed
at it as one of tue "vagaries" of popu-
liSm. They don't do that so much
now. They don't sneer at it as they
used to do. They merely ignore it as
their Kansas platform does every
other local question that concerns the
interests or the welfare of the people
of Kansas.
The democrats of Kansas perceived
the trend of public sentiment in re-
gard to this question and had the
enterprise and public spirit to adopt
it as a party measure. By SO doing
they treat it as no longer a merely
speculative question, but place it
where it properly belongs, in the do
main of the real and practical. They
recognize the fact that every public
service function iSa natural monopoly.
Monopoly in private hands is always
vicious and demoralizing. The proof
of this, if proof were needed, is seen
by everyone in the scandalouS corrupt
ion practiced by public service cor
porationS in our cities. st. Louis is
at this moment a striking example of
what her grand jury characterizes as
''an appalling condition of things, I"
resulting from a course of wholesale
bribery of councilmen and city officials
by this class of corporations. What
is true of that city is true to degree
of every city in the union.
More and more do the people recog-
nize the fact that the only effective
remedy for the extOrtions, evaSionS of
duty and corruptions practiced by
these corporations is public ownership.
Hence the reason why so many cities
in the United States have begun to
take over the ownership of those
public func lions such as the water
supply, light and trans porta tion.
The Europeans are far in advance
of US in adopting socialism as settled
policy. Mr.. Boyle, the American con-
sui at Liverpool, made a report to this
government recently concerning the
progress of this movement in England
the home of conservatism. This re-
port shows that in Great Britain 931
municipalities own their water works,
ninety-nine own their street railways,
240 own gas works and Isl supply
electric lighting. In Glasgow, which
owns and operates its sire ct railways,
there are 1-cent fares, says Mr.. Boyle,
and for cents one can ride two and
half miles. Manchester OwDS shares
in it's ship canal. Bristol has eXpend-
ed nearly fifteen million dollars in ac-
curing ownership of its docks, and
Liverpool is gradually getting control
of its docks, the greatest perhaps in
the world. This city not only oper-
ates a street railway system, supplies
water, light and power, but ''has the
best public bath system anywhere"
says the report. Furthermore, we
are told that the city of Liverpool has
constructed many blocks of tenement
houses for the poor, the rent of which
is within reach Of the poorest. Mr..
Boyle says in iais report that the claim
is made that 1.-THE best governe ed towns