Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-02-03

result, unoer municipal ownership Inc
cost was increased more than Is per
cent.
WALLACE H MARTIN.
Mr.. Martin followed in the afhrma~
tive. The whole trend Of his remarks
WAS to the effect that graft and bood.
ling were reduced to the minimum un-
der municipal ownership. He believed
that corruption was very much d.
minished by such ownership. In the
tsbulated reports furnished the pub
lie the affairs of the private corpora.
tions were not apt to be represented
truthfully. The reverse is true under
municipal ownership. He declared
that municipal ownership diminishes
the amount of stock for gambling pur.
poses, that ia, there is not apt to be
sny wstered stock under city control.
He illustrated his argument by refer
ring to Boston. North Hampton, New
York and other cities In which the
public had been made aware OF the
payment of immense sums OF money
to aldermen and others to secure de-
sired franchises.
WYLIE STONE.
This speaker desired to impress up
on his hearers the fact that public
ownership did not tend to decrease
taxation or secure the best plant; that
public property Is not usually as we'll
cared for as private; that municipal
ownership does not secure the best
service OF the most sklllful men; that
the operations of the plant were sub.
ject to the vicissitudes Of party poll
tics, and finally, however much
there might be OF abuse by private
corporations municipal ownership was
far from being the remedy for 1t.
The deterioration of the machinery
OF the plant through incompetent and
careless engineers and other employees
caused immense loss to the city. On.
der municipal ownership positions OF
responsibility we're filed by men who
had been found possessed not Of the
highest degree of skill but by an al.
derman's endorsement -~.-...-
Mr.. Stone made : good impression
upon hin shafrers .Eho q onnes es+recog1
*nized ID him al the qualities that 60
toward making an excellent debater.
Both this young man and Mr.. Mo-
Cune proved that they were debaters
of experience.
REBUTTAL ARGUMENT.
LEON SMITH.
Mr.. Smith opened in rebuttal by
saying that examples OF municipal
ownership In European cities should
be kept out of this debate, for the
question has reference to American
municipalities. Standards OF value
In Europe are different from those In
America. It is just as fair to compare
prices In Europe and America % in
Willmar and the Klondyke. When
ever municipalities take In hand gas
and waterplants they take out Of pri-
vate hsnds the possibility OF invest
ment along the same lines. If muni.
oipality ownership Is right for gas
and water why not have municipal
department stores, soda fountains and
peanut stands.
VICTOR KNUT6ON.
Mr.. Knutson for the affirmative EN-.
phatically denied that these utilities
must necessarily be more expensive
under municipal ownership. Extrsv.
agance Is restrained by the statutory
limit of indebte dness possible In any
city. The speaker took directly op-
posite grounds In the Detroit incident
to those taken by Mr.. McCune for the
negative.
WYLIE STONE.
Mr.. Stone admitted that charges
under private ownership might in rare
cases be slightly higher than under
municipal. For example, the Bell
Telephone Co. owning costly patents,
was compelled to charge somewhat in
excess OF other companies but the SER
vice was much superior. In answer to
the challenge of the affirmative to
name one city which had chang ed from
private to municipal ownership and
regretted the change he mentioned
Valley City in particular, while any
one of the more than thirty cities
whose statistics were exhibited on Mr..
Smiths charts might be considered
another answer. Municipal owner
ship will not change the condition Of
Stealing on the part of city officials.
It 10 merely . case of putting more
hogs In tho trough. :.
WALLACE H. MARTIN,
Mr.. Martin said: My challenge to
mention the name Of an American
city changing from private to public
Ownership with resultant regret IL q
quotation from Prot, Ely. In proof
OF the, statement that private cor
porstions offered temptation to The
watering OF stock he cited the case oi
the Twin City Rapid Transit. Co. /,
which with an actual valuation <o1
about %, ,oo0, 600 issued stock to the
amount ,pf shout 93l ,000, 900. Tax.
alton without representation IL tyr.
amy. Il not extortonste ohargss tor
tie s3necesssries Of lie on Tho part 81