Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-05

the destruction OF what Is left Of home
rule, and that is indeed, very little. Let
us talk about these franchised corpora
tions candidly, without bias, but with jus
tice. We have been just as generous, IL
not more so. to these corporations as we
have to the railroads. Take for example
the street railway company. II has
mOrtgaged the streets and highways Of the
city Of Omaha for millions more than the
tangible value of it's property. The street
car company has paid nothing for its fran
chise. II pays no royalty, and yet we have
had to go to the supreme court OF Ne
braska to compel that corporation to pay
It's just proportion OF taxes for carrying
on municipal government. What is true
Of the street railway company is equally
true of the water company. the gas COM
pany. the electric lighting company and
the telephone company, All of them en-
Joy valuable privileges. This is a city Of
more than 100000 population. with a large
commerce. and the public utility corpora
tions levy a forced tribute and get big
slices for their stockholders. With such
treatment as they have had they ought
certainly TO have been satisfied. Personally
have always endeavored to give these
corporations fair treatment. / have op-
posed all holdup legislation directed
against them, whether in the legislature or
city council, and have often assisted them
In securing concessions that l deemed
mutually beneficial to them and to the
city. They ought to have been content to
allow us to govern ourselves, but they are
not. We know that members OF the city
council have been bought. and / will use
plain English, (aughter) like so many
cattle and among the present nine there
are few not more less contaminated.
COunciIman's Christmas Present.
"A member of the council told me the other
day that two or three days before last
Christmas a friend Of his asked him to
make up with a certain manager Of one of
the franchised corporations with whom he
had been at outs. They smoked a pipe
Of peace and talked over their differences
and finally as the councilman was about
to start out the manager handed him a
sealed envelope that contained some cur
rendy. He could feel the greenbacks
through the envelope. Turning to the man
ager he asked what this meant Just q
little Christmas present that we are CIV
ing you.' exclaimed the suave manager.
Will you tell me candidly whether you
would have made me this Christmas pres
ent II l was not a councilman; surely I
have not earned this gift To be candid,
retorted the manager, of course not.
Then please keep your Christmas gift
other councilmen have taken 1t without
any compunctions, exclaimed the man
mas or not. (Laughter.) / don't know
whether the councilman from the Sixth
ward has received his envelope for Christ
mas or not. (Laughter.) don't know
whether he is in the habit Of getting
| Christmaa oifta from cornnratfona that ha
axes to grind in the council but we do
know that things have gone wrong and to
the injury Of public interest Ia the city
council because councilmen have been
tampered with. (Applanse.) Here is the
proposition: Shall the citizens Of Omaha
elect any more councilmen that are the
property of the corporations? Applause.
| Cry OF NOD l am going a little farther
| perhaps, to show how far this corruption
Of our city government has gone and how
far-reaching the movement is today by
which these people expect to control the
next city government
One Man Owns Five.
ut is an open secret that Mr.. Fred Nash
the manager OF the Chicago, Milwaukee &
St. Paul railroad and of the Tomson-
Houston Electric Light company, boasts
that he owns Eve councilmen out of the
nine. He has made no secret Of that, anS
we know. furthermore, that enc OF these
| councilmen is on his payroll regularly at a
Naiary at so much per month and has beer
! for more than q year. How he has an
| nexed the four others / cannot find out
| Clerks in the city treasurer's once are on
| his pay ron. We know that these men
spend much OF their time hanging around
the office Of the Milwaukee railroad and
have been lobbying fer Mr.. Nash. We
know that oOuRcilmen have been carried OF
Junketing trips and dined and wined and
furnished free transportation for them
selves, their friends and families.
| These Milwaukee pass bribes are used SC
generously and generally that they hav,
completely demoraliEed these men and mad,
them subservient tools Of the manager O
the Milwaukee railrOad. cannot compre
bend why the Milwaukee railroad shoult
meddle in this way with our city oflcials
That road has been treated literally by ou
city. They have at least three miles o
leased trackage In Omaha and Douglas
county. They have never been taxed
penny for the leasehold or the trafnc or ii,
cars they have here. The only taxes the,
have been compelled to pay is on the fur
niture in their town once. Surely there Il
| - %N-'SA Wy NhoN OApoIollOu buOul
make periodical raids upon our city council
nor do comprehend why its transportation
should be dealt out for the bribery Of coun
cilmen and public oficsrs. It might b
different with the Thomson Houston com
pany. They secured their arst contract Il
the midnight hour. II was rushed througl
during the last hour Of the second term o
w. J. Broatch to forestan unfaVorable &C
tion BY the new council
Electric Light COmDany's Interest
'"Ths electric lighting company has With
the last ten mOnths secured the passage 0
an ordnance permitting them to construe
q system Of subways 0r conduits throug
our streets. alleys and public highway
When they secured that valuable osncea
sion. for II Is no franchise they have n
legal franchise in the city Of Omaha toda,
1t was publicly and privately given ou
by Manager Nash that II the concessio
asked for in the conduit ordinance wa
made the company would at Once procee
with the development Of water power an
, supply Omaha with cheaper light an
, cheaper power, and was one Of the sucker
Mr.. Nash took in. CLaughter.) Mr.. Mas
assured me personally, as he did Mayo
Moores and other men could name, ths
, his company was ready to put in the cap
tai necessary for the construction
the power scanal, but that he couI