Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-28
Home Rule for cities.

dent Charles s. Ashley, mayor of New Bed
ford, Mass.
Home Rule for cities.
Mr.. Ashley said that much thought and
discussion had been given to the subject
OF municipal administration by the mem
bers OF the league and they had been the
cause Of provoking 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 municipality
should be a law unto itself upon matters
purely local We should have right to
own and control the public utilities.
ask you to note that say have the
right TO own, for do not undertake to
say that at this time in every community
II would be feasible thing to exercise
that rsht, bnt IN the very nature of things
IL Is a privilege which we should not be
longer denied.
Competition in the products OF the public
| consolidation will follow and the consumer
eventually pay all the bills.
Pure monopoly means that the price de-
manded Will be far beyond the fair capacity
of the debtor to pay.
Regulated monopoly. through the instru-
mentality of the state, is farce and prac-
tieally amounts to legalzed bunco.
The right to enter into the field with
municipal ownership provides a means of
cent with us and we will pay proper price
TO you; II not, we ourselves will pay to our
selves, buy of ourselves and the amount
expended will oe that which Is of itself
right and not what you eXtort.
Regulation that Regulates.
This would come pretty near being regu-
to iaton that would regulate, and the regu-
lator is the party naturally and rightfully
years In the mayoralty mas brought me
tace to face with the state and It's servants,
their officers. L am referring to the arbi-
trary acts of great organizations, to un-
reasonable schedules and rates OF charges.
10 hgh prices and poor service, to ever
lasting greed, big profits and soft snaps.
III II Is true that AN individual oT a Arm
ls entitled to only what is fair as a re-
turn In a business investment, II is equally
true that great corporations which exist
creatures entirely of the law have no in
herent right to receive more than what is
Great public utility monopolies are fertile
In resources and learned in trickery.' The
held, being granted to them ostensibly to
protect the people from the ultimate ie-
suits OF competitive warfare, the supply
OF water" being enormous to make large
spectacle, the bond issues being fioated and
'hn ~ tas macnlnery 9Rd devices for conceal.
state In its wisdom creates it's boards and
bureaus TO restrict, regulate and control
poor; the size and strength @ pfEssl9a Of ny Is
arm when raised in behalf of the city 8
You can hardly notice it at ALL"
Benefits of Municipal Oyvnership.
/ do not urge municipal ownership as a
club TO exterminate but rather as a means
70 remedy and solution. With it you
hold and ride in your own streets and lead
your electric wires wherever electricity has
charge no corruption upon the agents
OF the statei the fault is In the system;
pointment subject to any control OF the
city; they come in daily contact with the
som! companies and their representatives and
they learn TO think their visitors think.
they lose their Identity as citizens them
selves. and have come to listen to the
GIVE us home rule for cities Independence
OF @ the state In matters of purely local con- |
right TO do as we will with our own
Mayor Head and Mayor Jones.
At this afternoons session Of the conven- |
tion Mayor J. M. Head of Nashville, Tenn, |
was the first speaker, his topic being
Transportation and Taxation" He advo-
Gated public ownership and control of pub |
lie and quasi public utilities.
There is scarcely a city in the United |
States" said he. that is not taxing its cit |
liens almost up to the limit of endurance. |
and many Of them are trying new and doubt
ful methods Of raising the necessary rev.
enue to meet the ever-increasing demand of
modern city government
Mayor Thomas G. Hayes of Baltimore
spoke on THE Contract System"
The feature Of the evening session was
the address Of Mayor Samuel Jones of To-
ledo. His subject was, what is Crime and
Who Are the Criminals7" He said society
was the real criminal and not the man or
the individual. In condemning the present
system he said: 1.-The preacher in
the pulpit, the Judge on the bench, the
on the street are a part Of this
system, which is sick from head to feet
and must share in the evil until we purge |
the whole mass. The sending OF the poor
man to the workhouse because he cannot
pay his fine is but Imprisonment for debt
yet we boast that the debtors prison has |
been abandoned. If we believe the prison |
did good we would occasionally put our
children there, but there is not a Judge who |
would not move heaven and earth TO save |
his child from such penalty. 1t is not new |
laws that are needed, but the repeal Of old !
ones"