The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-03-11
.b|GEL0W'S BEST CITY
IN THE UNITED STATES
Noted Single Tax Advocate
Pays a Compliment to Du-
luth in Minneapolis.
Tells Something About the Cit-
les He Has Visited upon
His Itinerary.


bert S. Bigelow, the noted Single Tax
day evening. He is completing tour
Of the great Northwest, and has been
close observer of local conditions in
each city that he visited. He said:
Mr. Lincoln Steffens tells us that
Rhode Island is the worst state in the
Union. I can tell you the best city in
the Union. It is Grand Rapids, Wis.
There may be a saloon or two there.
There may be some gambling and Sun
~iaassa-hall playing and ft,s Il, flls of
Wickedness which are so heinous to
the pharisees. But the city has a right
to hold up her head. She has a Coop
erative telephone company. When
plans for this enterprise were being
discussed, the Bell Telephone Company
tried to decoy the city into it's tolls.
A bribe was offered not to the coun-
Gil, but to the city itself. The attempt
to corrupt the people was made as in
Rhode Island, but with different re-
suit. The Bell Company offered every
citizen of Grand Rapids free tele-
phone for three years if they would
sign the Bell contract and drop the
agitation for a company Of their own.
There was but one man in the city who
accepted the bribe. But for that one
man the city was unanimous in resent
ing the bribe and declining the gift
In this age of corporation domination
Grand Rapids in a beacon light. Gin
cinnati and other cities have their fifty
and ninety-nine year franchises and
franchises that are perpetual. The
little city of Grand Rapids, Wis, is
made Of different stuff She has toe
much self-respect to submit to the cor
poration yoke. SS
"A next door neighbor of Grand Rap
| ids. by the way, is the home Of some
| of the favorite investors of the now
famous Osa9e leases.
"A press dispatch says: Secretary
Hitchcock favors extension of leases
over $4,000 acres because of vested
rights that should be protected, al.
! though the leases were wrong in the
! first place.
AT Stevens Point, Wis, they will ex-
plain to you just how very precious
| these vested rights are that used to be
| wrong
People living here bought stock ir
! these leases at $1.00 share. It has
been watered nine times, so that fol
their one dollar they now have ten
| On this mixture of oil and water they
| are receiving dividend Of per cent a
month, or thirty-six per cent year or
ten times the original outlay. This will
! explain how these vested wrongs have
! become vested rights. The sanctity in.
1r,;< ,,{r{- Il It1,3l
| "Wausau, Wis, is another bright spot
| on the map. This city is practicins
what is often urged as the ideal solu.
tion Of the municipal ownership monop.
olies problem, namely, city ownership
but private operation. Wausau owns
her own wires, poles and street lamps
and maintains them, but she buys hel
current of a private power house. This
plan has resulted in a reduction OF
from $4,000 to $4,000 light, total saw.
ing to the little city. of $3,500.00 a year
! "Six years ago Duluth. Minn., took
over the water and gas business. Tht
| private owner of the plants had beer
so notoriously active in politics tha
they used to call him 'councilman-at
large The books of the old compan!
showed that they spent a corruption
fund of $50,000.00 in a single year
Duluth has put stop to all that. Sh'
has put this company out of polite!
by putting 1t out Of business. She ha.
already reduced the rates on both ga
and water one half, and she has re
duced the hours Of labor from twelv'
to eight day. Moreover, Minnesota
cities have home rule. Duluth has
charter which she made herself, and
prohibits the granting of any fran
chises or the issues of any bonds with