The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-09-19
munte,pa, own.r.h,p ot Pubte Ust.i-

Municipal Ownsrshtp Of Pubiic Ustii-
 ties.
 To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
 Noting in the newspapers reports of the hearings of the citizens in regard to municipal ownership of the New Haven Gas Light company's plant, and that there seems to be no opposition to the scheme. i. leads me to think that the general public, including many workmen, who have saved of their earn ings and are property taxpayers, do not consider that the efforts of the men who thus far have advocated it are liable to be seriously considered by the large majority of conservative citizens.
 I have the same opinion of the at- tendants on these meetings that l eX- pressed at meeting of similar nature held to consider the municipal owner ship of the New Haven Water company, that they are not representatives of the great mass of the careful, conservative and thinking taxpayers, who would not appear at such meetings but who would by letter or in person bring an. influence to bear in this matter on the committee or on the mayor that would be decidedly against 1t. I see that the Rev. MT. IT, vine promised to make member of the committee who reports favorably on this subject mayor of the city. Perhaps you will recoliect that Mir. Irvine in his sim plicity published a letter from Philo $. Bonnet. to him in which he advised him to put himself in the hands of some good business man (friendly to hin) and not say or do anything without first advising with this business friend. Ev- idently he has not found that good bus mess man to hold him in check, suggest ed bg his friend Bennett. But l sug- gest on the quiet to the committee that Attorney George NJ. Wallace may have an even better thing up his sleeve. as he promised in the New Haven Water company case to re-elect the mayor and finally to land him in the governor chair if he would only refuse to sign the contract and thus defeat those op- posed to municipal ownership.
 I heard MT. Wallace. the former pres- ident of of the board of aldermen, make plea for municipal ownership before a society of which I am member. All the answer I felt compelled to give him was to ask him how the cost of work done for the city compared with work done for corporations or individuals, he having an unusually good opportunity in his place as city official of know ing. He stated that it cost the city twice as much for work done for 1t, ev. cry time. I then remarked that until this condition was changed could not see how he, as 8 good, fair-1ninded and honest citizen. as I knew him to be could for & moment advocate any in- i'crease of municipal control, with it's op- portunity for jobbery, patronage and dishonesty.
 We all know that there is hardly a city or even town of any size in the United States but is mere or less honey combed and rotten with these condl. tions. I have not troubled smyself tc collect any record of cases of the great number of failures In municipal man. agement that are so continuously pub. lished. feeling that they are so numer. ous and we'll authenticated and stand as warnings against it, that it would be superf1uous to do so. but will mention the case of the city of Philadelphia which after voting fifteen million dol lars for filtration of the city water. is now faced with a demand for more money for the purpose, and the end is not yet. Jno. F. Douglass.