The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-03-18
DULUTH DELEGATION IN LEGISLATURE
MUST TOTE SQUARE ON CITY BILLS

islative delegation; enabling the city
to own municipal electric lighting,
telephone and street railway plants be
endorsed, and the delegation be COM
mended for it's advanced stand in the
application of the principle of NUM-
cipal ownership to: all public utilities,
Resolved Further That II at any tims
the success Of the substitute bill be
endangered by the inclusion of tele-
phone and street railway plants there
in, that it is the sense of the council
that the latter be stricken out and the
original bill be urged to passage Of the
electric lighting proposition alone.
Resolved, Fruther, that if in the
judgment of the defega ton 1t is necess-
ary or advisable in order to secure the
passage Of the original bill this city
council would have no objection to
limiting the amount Of bonds to be is
sued to $4,000 or 100000.
Resolved, Further, That the city
clerk certify to each member Of the
Of these resolutions, and certify copy
Of these resolutions: to the Commercial
Club of Duluth, the Commercial Club
of West Duluth, and the president Of
the Minnesota Municipal and Gem
mercial Leagu, with a request that they
endorse the same and use their in
.fluence to secure the passage of such
bill.
Act. courteousiy and Consistently.
BY the above it will be seen that the
council has acted courteously and con-
sistenly with the members of the dele
CATION.
The main fear is that the substitute
will bring the united opposition of the
Lowry street railway Influences and
the Bell telephone monopoly. The SUBJ
stitute bill will apply to st. Paul, Min
neapolis and Duluth, while the original
bill will affect the: City of Duluth
alone BY this explanation it can be
readily seen that there is ground for
fearing the defeat Of the proposition.
The simple recommendation of the Du-
luth delegation would secure the pas
sage of the electric lighting bill, while
the substitute bill. involving the street
railway companies and Bell telephone
interests Of the state, would find many
enemies in the Twin Cities, where the
question of public ownership Of public
utilities is yet but 81 dream. Under
these conditions Is there not good reas-
on for being skeptical about the Hugo
substitute?
The Commercial Club. committee on
Public Affairs discussed the matter at
considerable length "wednesday even-
ing, and ,hy q close be eommittee
went Oh record 81 .tl,aci M
ownership. There vera: The usual ar
guments advanced about increasing
the tax rate, but the advocates Of
municipal ownership were too we'll in
formed on the question to permit false
logic to sway their Judgment.
Same Old Argument IL, Used.
Is it not strange that whenever a
movement is advanced that will bring
to the people real benefits there ever
creeps in that fear that the credit of
the city will be impaired, capital will
not invest here. and a lot more of
such trash? Particularly is this true
when private interests are affected.
This worn out argument might have
had some influence in. other days, but
the people are enlightened now, and
they think they know what they want.
When labor asks for equitable condi-
tions it is given the advice to remain
quiet, that their aggressive movement
will surely discourage investments at