Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-01
WHY DO rHEY OPPOSE MOOR csi

n ~ AAAAa Va N1G ~NCbAfG1f
All the corporations opposed Frank e.
Moores in the republican primaries and
all the corporations have Joined hands
to defeat him at the election next
Tuesday. 1t goes without saying that
the corporations never. oppose a man
who is willing to do their bidding. They
are arrayed against Moores because he
has resisted corporate pressure and will
not take his orders from the corporation
managers. The Burlington railroad, for
example, has opposed Moores because
he signed the ordinance granting the
right to the Northwestern Railroad COM
pany to extend its tracks into the job
bing district, thus destroying the
monopoly of railroad trackage which the
Burlington had for many years enjoyed.
This action on the part of Moores was
clearly in the interest of Omaha, and
especially of Omaha manufacturers and
Omaha wholesale dealers. But while
Moores has incurred the everlasting
enmity of the Burlington he has failed
to inspire gratitude or local patriotism
among the jobbers who have Joined
hands with the Burlington in Its des-
perate effort to down Moores and elect
Howell by projecting Stalking Horse
Benson into the campaign.
Whether the Missouri Pacific has any
thing in common with the Burlington on
switching grievances is not discernible,
but its general manager is openly shout
ing for Boomer Benson when he must
know that Benson has no more chance
of being elected mayor than he has Of
being struck by lightning in mid-winter.
While there Is no community Of
interest in terminal privileges between
the Union Pacific and the Burlington,
there is a sympathetic feeling between
that corporation and all the other rail-
roads against Moores because Moores
is held primarily responsible for the
raise in the assessment of the railroads
from $2O5, 700 to more than $25,0O0,000.
The intense hostility of the franchised
corporations to Mayor Moores is due to
the position Moores has taken in favor
of municipal ownership, cheaper light
and power and reduced telephone tolls.
The Thomson-H Houston electric lighting
monopoly is opposing Moores and favor
ing Howell because Moores insists that
the city of Omaha shall own and
operate its own electric lighting plant
and because he exerted his influence In
favor of the submission of the ordinance
granting a franchise for the proposed
electric power canal.
The telephone monopoly is opposed to
Moores because he has shown a dispo-
sltion to respond to public sentiment that
demands competition and a reduction OF
| telephone tolls. The street railway and
gas company, which are practically
under one management, have made com.
mon cause with the electric lighting
monopoly and telephone monopoly
against Moores because he has stood
up for Omaha rather than for the cor,
porations and has committed himself tC
a policy they regard as inlmical to theiI
interests. If the water works company
did not expect to go out of business II
also would be booming Benson in the
interest of Howell.
The allied corporations have thus
forced the issue between themselves and
the people, so that It is no longer a ques
tion Of parties or men, but question o.
whether Omaha shall govern itself o.
whether it's people shall submit to cor
porate domination.