Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-03-01
FRANCHISES THE
SOURCE OF EVIL
PRIVILEGES SOUGHT BY coRPo.
RATIoNs CORRUPT CITY.
LECTURE OF DR.. F. C. HOWE
Student of Municipal Problems from
Cleveland Tells of Wholesale Graft.
ing in Large Cities and of the Bus.
mess Methods Used in Controlling
Councils and Executives.
Madison. Feb "a.

Madison, FeD. "A.
Franchise interests are to the mis-
government of our cities what the reg.
ular army is to warfare. All other
graft is guerillalike in It's effectiveness.
With profit in sight of from S75,OO0,-
900 10 $15O.OOO,OO0 from a 5O-yeai
grant in the Chicago streets. men will
appear who arc willing to advance
such sums as may be necessary to con
troll the party machinery of the state
of Illinois"
Such was the statement of DR.. Fred
eric C. Howe of Cleveland in the
course of his lecture on the Sources OF
Corruption in the American City, at
the university yesterday. DR.. Howe's
analyses of municipal government
have attracted much attention from
the Madison citizens. The speaka
proceeded in part as follows:
The vital principle Of the franchise
i its grant, 1t exists, it's great value
depends, its coTlupting influences
spring from this fact, and no other
business is so readily organized to con-
troll the government as this. Every
where the exhibit is the same 1t is
privilege, not wealth; franchise not
business; the few, not the many. thar
have overturned cities within the past
years. There is not a city of $4,000 or
more in the United States in which the
public service corporations do NOT
control or constantly seek to control
the government. In many instances
the council is theirs, prior even to cleo
ton. Through an alliance with the
party, the corporations dictate alder.
manic nominations They supply can
d1dates with funds and place the ma
chinery of the party at their disposal
Once elected, the alderman is con.
trolled by Friendship, favor, bribery or
the party caucus. The latter Is used
on the honest official who is scrupulons
about other consideration. In fact, as
employed in city, state and national
affairs, the caucus is used quite a.
often to compel obedience to some
corrupt proposition as for any other
purpose. II this proves Intellectual
the official is ostracised from the party
counsels, is charged with BETRAYAL Of
party principals and is excluded from
the party ticket.
IL is no longer necessary to see the
organization, only the party boss.
Through this fence men are nominal
ed for the bench and for the higher
state Offices with knowledge ap,
preaching certainty as to what they
viii do under a given set of .circum.
stances. Many. possibly most of Thorn.
are honest, but through previous con.
tact, pecuniary or political obliga,
lions, their attitude can be forecast
with precision.
1T is true, that franchise AMI tax
assessments do not account for all the
corruption in cities But it explains
the organized enf svssemized aorrup.
ton. The rest is unorganized, INSECT
laneous, occasional. Franchise inter
ests form the keystone Of The arch
that supports the petty grating. Were
this removed, the system that has
grown up about these interests would
crumble about public opinion, because
no otser interest is powerful enough to
support it.
1T is the contests for the possession
Of the franchise privileges that breed
corruption and Jet the unfit into poll
tics. In this process the boss has be.
come the representative of the inter
ests which have reduced our politics
to n system Of government. They
have syndicated the party and con
verified blind submission of the people
to party regularity into a marketable
asset, which is bought and sold By
campaign contributions for private
ends. All this IS possible by reason
Of the fact that the privilege of SUP.
plying transportation. gas, water, light
ing and telephone service is a natural
monopoly, Competition may be Sc
cured for a time, but combination in
eyitabiy follows. 1t has been the ak
ION Of the business world that where.
ever combination is possible. conipett
ton is improbable. The cherges Of
such companies are determined by the
rule of monopoly. which Is to collect
what The traffic Will bear. In 20 fan
as the charges have been fixed BY
contract with the city, this rule must
be qualified, but such contracts we're
made many years ago when cost or
production was much higher than at
present and these services we're in
their infancy"
DR.. Howe viii speak this afternoon
at O'Clock in the law building on the
Boss and Party System.