Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-26

The city of Omaha is a corporation
owning tangible property valued at
more than S12O,OOO,OOO. The right of
the owners Of this property to manage
the affairs Of the corporation has beer
established by precedent, usage and
law and up to this time has never been
questioned, denied or abridged. To
make it plain, the city of Omaha ever
since it secured its first charter has en-
joyed the same rights that are conceded
to semi-public or private corporations,
ramely, the right Of it's owners or
stockholders to control the affairs of
the corporation through directors.
trustees or managers Of their w
choosing and responsible to them for
the efficient and honest administration
Of corporate affairs.
In other words, all the charters ever
enacted for Omaha by succeeding leg
islatures have recognized primarily that
the taxpayers, who are stockholders in
the corporation, had a right to desig-
nate through the ballot box the men
who were to conduct the affairs OF the
corporation.
And now It is proposed by a man who
is not known TO be the owner Of a foot
of real estate in Omaha and has not
paid a dollar of personal taxes in
Omaha to invoke the charter-making
power to constitute another man, who
is not a stakeholder in the corporation
Of Omaha, to appoint for Omaha a
board of directors with exclusive power
to negotiate, acquire and supervise and
manage property of the corporation Of
millions of dollars in value.
1t is proposed further that this ire
sponsible board appointed by an out
slider shall have the right to appoint a
general manager for this property at
such salary as it may see fit to fix for
any length Of time without the consent
Of the stockholders or the officers of the
corporation. Now, suppose that any
body should propose to the legislature
to enact a law that would authorize the
governor to appoint a board of direct
OAS VI uhSNNNo " dhg OllCI NOIDUId-
ton whether its property was assessed
at only $1,000 or $1,OO0,OOO. Who would
dare stand up and Justify such a meas
ure under pretext that the stockholders
of the corporation could not be trusted
to select honest and capable men to
manage it's affairs? What would be
thought OF a proposition that the direct
ors appointed by the governor to man
age the affairs of a corporation should
be clothed with the right to appoint
their own successors without the con-
sent of the governor or Of anybody else,
and should moreover have the right to
appoint a high-salaried general manager
for the corporation before it had &C.
quired any plant or property to managel
Surely such a proposition would not be
c-ountenanced by any legislature and
would not receive endorsement by any
body of business men or property own
ers whatever its promise of advantage
might be. And yet this is precisely
what is proposed by the water works
bill. Is there any other city in America
that would not protect its right to self
government? Has any other city in
America ever been placed in such a hu.
initiating position as to stand self-con.
fessed Of dishonesty, imbecility and
moral cowardiee that it would not re,
sent the attempt to take from it its
inherent right of self-government?N
Grant that municipal ownership OF
the water works has become a para
mount necessity, why should not the
people OF Omaha have the right to cleo
the water commission and why should
they be compelled to pay a high-salaried
commissioner before they have pur
chased the works?
Cannot Omaha trust Omaha?