The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-14

ton will ultimately lead to public own
ership, and, in d TO avoid the dan
ger of Capitalization, I would prefer to
see the trunk lines only owned by the
federal government and the local lines
owned by the eVera states.
ON the subject Of private monopoly
Jefferson has spoken with no uncertain
sound. So d~etestable to him was the
thought of monopoly that it was with
reluctance h a he consented to a pat
ent, for, while he recognized the justice
OF allowing a temporary monopoly OF
the product as a reward for invention,
he SO feared the evil effects of the es-
Enlistment of the principle that he in
sisted upon the StricteSt limitations.
His fears have been justified and we are
beginning to understand the dangers
that he so clearly foresaw.
The natural results OF private mon
Opoly are, first, extOrtion as to the price
of the product; second, oppression as to
the labor employed in production; third,
deterioration in h quality of the prod
uct; and. fourth, the corruption of the
power which attempts to regulate mon
opoly in the interests Of the public
When the English parliament gives q
franchise for a private water plant or
lighting plant, it generally hXeS a maxi
mum income and requires a reduction
of rates hen the maximum is reach
ed; out in this country the advocates OF
monopoly are bold enough to resist all
limitation and to demand a free hand
for those VINO are IN COuLEO1 Ol tAG
q~uasi-public corporations.
City Control of Water Plants.
In the matter of water plants the
cities have made great progress, but a
small percentage of the water plants
being now owned by private corpora
lions. The taking over of the lighting
plants has not gone so far, but the
movement is now well under way. But
few of the cities have undertaken to
49, Ill. +AT1-EAaA- Arahon hut this
is a necessary step, and unless it is ia
ken soon we shall have the same Strug-
gle that we have gone through IN re-
gard to water plants n lighting
plants. The sooner the cities begin 10
establish their own telephone exchanges
the less they viii ave to pay for Wa
tered stock and in compensation Tor so
called vested rights
Mr.. Williams took for his theme,
Equal Rights to All and Special Priv
neges to None The speaker was &C
corded a warm welcome by the ban
queters. This was the first time many
Of those present mad ever heard the
Massachusetts orator and his words
were listened to with interest
The Mayor on Municipal Ownership.
Mayor Dunno spoke on Municipal
Ownership" After a lengthy discus
sion of this subject, Mayor Dunno end
ed his remarks by appealing to the
Democratic party to incorporate a
municipal ownership plank in the plat
form to be adopted at the next national
convention of the party.
His speech in part was as follows:
The Democratic party won in the
spring election because its platform
plainly. clearly and truthfully declared
for Drfnciples which were for the best
interests OF the people. It lost last fall
because it's platform was a compromise,
and because the people believed that it
dealt in platitudes rather than prin-
ciDles The results of these two cleo
lions should teach the lesson to the
men who stand high in the councils Of
Democracy tia evasion, insincerity and
retrogression should nave no place in
the platforms of the Democratic party
The Darty must take and hold to ad-
vanced positions. 1t must keep pace
with the march of events. It must de-
clare war against monopoly in any and
all forms, against special privilege IN
every guise."