Evening journal., 1905-05-11
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
Judge Dunne's Views on It's
Operation In Chicago.
HOW CITY WILL GAIN RAILWAYS


/5udge Edwsrd F. Dunno. elected /
Mayor OF Chicago on the municipal
ownership ticket, who recently went to
New York city 20 tell New Workers I
something of the plan Of which he has
been a champion for years, expressed
the belief to New York Times report /
er that municipal ownership Of Chicago
street railways will come within two
years Of his term. although he admits
that this is a short time in which to
bring about so sweeping a change
Judge Dunno tells an interesting sto-
~ Of how he first became deeply inter
ested in municipal ownership. II hap
pened some years ago while he was
travelling In Switzerland. While in In
teriaken he stepped into a telegraph Of
fee TO send message to Lucerne and
when he came 20 pay for It was told
that the price was about cents. He
thought mistake had been made and
told the operator that such a message
would have cost 40 or 30 cents In the
United States.
But you see. here the government
operates the telegraph system" said
the operator. land the rate Is much
cheaper"
This. Judge Dunno said, set him TO
thinking and wherever he went he
found that the case was similar where
public service utilities were concerned.
From that time he became the cham
pion Of municipal ownership.
ave have in Chicago" he said. "tho
worst street railroad system in the
country We mean TO take hold OF
this, rc-equip II and run It in the inter
ests OF the people We will accomplish
this without one cent Of taxation on
the community simply by the power OF
condemnation. which every railroad in
the city has exercised for years against
the owners OF private property You
see, that law was supported by the
street railway companies Now we nre
going TO give them a taste OF their own
medicine We will show them that n
law can work both ways, and they
surely cannot Kick If we fairly apply
TO them the laws under which they
have themselves acted so long.
If they kick, we'll and good Whilo
the kick is in progress the city Will
have control OF The roads. and the
courts will IN the meantime decide tho
cases. ] estimate. and 7 may be few
millions ont OF The way. that we can
acquire The street railway systems Of
Chicago for about S2T,o00,O00 1t VIII
take S30OOO.OC0 20 $4o,O0O,OO0 more 10
modcrnizc Them The tangible values
OF the properties has been placed by
exports at ahort S30,cQO000. and they
are capitalized for about Sl20,O00,O0O
Their stock exchange value just before
my election was ahoat $SO.000.O00 and
this was kept up by manipulation and
wash sa'cs
'Ncw. cndcr the law we can take
these roads hy issuing street car GER
tiiic0tcs 10 reality income bonds. the
interest being paid out OF the receipts.
Whom the roads pass into the hands
OF The c.iy all the employees, from su-
pcriniendcnt down TO car cleaners, will
come under civil service rules. We nat
urally will do just rs Mr.. Morgan
would do If he got a road-get the best
man possible 20 operate It, When
Yerkes built his LoudoD road be got an
expert from Glasgow To- show him all
about II. and the lord provost OF that
city has promised to send on his super
intendent, who has been running roads
under municipal ownership for ten
years, 70 help me In my work
1T is too early yet TO nhlnk Of reach
ing out FOR the gas. electric lighting or
telegraph or telephone franchises, but
the law win be amended In time so as
10 give US these rights. First we win
tackle the street railways. If we are
hindered we win fight In court and out
Of court The money value put on the
roads by experts win be paid into the
city treasurer's hands. and the roads
can take or leave It, just as the owner
Of private property could do when the
roads moved in condemnation proceed
ings against him.
NOW, on this question Of municipal
ownership let me give you a few
points. In Chicago we have been run
ming our water plant for forty years,
and we have the cheapest water in the
world.
I'VE paid for She whole plant out OF
the earnings. diverted S40.OOO,000 from
them TO build n sewer system In our
city and have now Sl,OO0.0Oo In the
treasury that we don't know what "a
do with. Ten years ago we began TO
operate a municipal electric light plan,
TO supply the city At that time ,gc
paid S125 year for arc lights. Now
We supply them for S54. and II VIC
could sell our power, which we have no
right to do. we could supply them FOR
much less. In Chicago under private
ownership the cost Of arc lights is q
cent per meter hour. In Peru. H.. City
niles away. under municipal owner.
ship. Il is just half that.
In the lssJ six months my water bni
was $40. The house has seventeen
rooms. and seventeen persons occupied
H. The gear before in part Of the an
nexec district, wherc private com
pany supplied the wster. my biH for
three months was So OC. That's M
object lesson worth remembering.
Il believe ] can safely say that n,
people OF Chicago believe in some rada
cal change from present conditions. a,
witness the election returns. / mean q
give them what they want. nunicipa
ownership"
iph' Big Iniun every night az IN.