The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1905-08-30


Engineer George r. CotteriIl re-
turnod from Europe Wednesday
morning. only ~ hours after the
arrival Of City Engineer Thomson.
lie has been gone two months He
made the trip as a delegate from
this state 10 the international con-
Yentlon OF the Good Templars. at
Belfast. ireland. but took advantage
Of the opportunity 10 travel eK-
tenHlyely over Europe and 20 make
such observations regarding city
ownership OF public utilities for
which he had time.
What ! saw in Europe simply
adds TO the high opinion Of munleip-
.ai ownershop which ! had gained
from previous observations" he said
Wednesday morning Municipal
ownership IN Europe IS the excep~
ton rather than the rule. and II IL
almost uniformly successful 10 Is
a benefit 10 the people financially
and for many other reasons. Bel
fast took over It's street car system
Two years ago. and when left two
thirds Of the streets were torn mp,
the city being engaged in putting
down heavy rails and building a
modern system throughout
Leicester. a city OF go. 900. ike
a score Of other continental cities,
has followed the example OF Bel
fast, and has taken over her own
street cars. Municipal ownership 10
applied also 10 telegraph and tele-
phone lines. markets and. in Ger
many. even the railroads.
At the educational congress at
the Portland exposition while ! was
there DR. Benjamin Ide Wheeler. Of
the University OF California. spoke
Of what he called the genius OF
democracy. stating that the respOn-
sibility OF self-government had a
large educational and moral influ-
ence upon a people. Following out
the same line. Il would be a good
thing for the people 10 manage for
their own benefit utilities that
should be absolutely controlled By
the public"
I met Superintendent Dalrymple,
Of the Glasgow tramway system,
and he spoke gloWingly Of the eff
cheney and benefits OF municipal
ownership. There was nothing In
his remarks 70 Indicate that he took
the gloomy view Of the street car
system In Chicago that a corpora
tion-owned press is anxious to make
him responsible for. The situation
in Chicago Is good. although there
are. as might be expected. some
complications
While in Paris Mr. Cotterill met
City Engineer Thomson. with whom
he spent an afternoon at the Hotel
DIOuyre. In Chicago he saw Col
ouel James Hamilton Lewis. now
corporation counsel there On the
way back across the Atlantic. on the
liner Campania. he met Tim Sulli-
van. the New York congressman
and Tammany leader. who. in re-
cent interview. said he would like 10
see municipal ownership because 10
would keep Tammany in power
4 did not discuss the matter with
him. said Cotterill. nor did talk
over ring matters with Jack Nc
Auliffe. the prizefighter. who was
also aboard
mf. tottfflil was accompanied ny
his wife and his s!sfer-in-law. Mrs.
Matt Gormley. wife Of the county
treasurer lie has attended every
International convention of the Good
remplars since 1898. having in that
time crossed the Atlantic eight
times and the continent Is times.
On the trip just concluded he went
through ireland and England, visit
ing the chief cities OF France and
Germany and making a trip down
the Rhine On July "A. at Paris. no
saw the celebration OF the Fall of
the Bastile at Versailles. and at
Brussels he saw the fetes attending
the 10Th anniversary OF Belslum's
birth. He also visited the Portland
as-r.-ntsf-s