Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-06-21

cal view, and declared in favor of Inn
mediate ownership by buying out the
operating companies. The Republic
cans did not advocate hasty action
put favored taking up the matter grad
uaily by getting possession of the
traction lines as fast as their fran
chises expired. Judge Dunno won ov-
er Mr.. Harlan, his Republican oppo-
nent Tor mayor, and soon after cleo
ton commenced the plan to make his
campaign promises good. Almost his
first step was to secure the advice
OF Mr.. James Dalrymple, of Glasgow.
scotland, who is authority on public
utilities Of this character Mr.. Dalrym-
pie made a special visit to Chicago
and spent several weeks studying the
conditions in that city and the pros
poets OF success in putting Mr.. DUNES
policy into effect. The Record.Her-
aid, in recent editorial, does not
give a very encouraging account of
how the Scotchman was impressed
with the outlook. It says:
Mr.. James Dalrymple came, saw,
made some common sense remarks
and departed. Probably the common
sense remarks were not altogether &C.
ceptable to our Immediate municipal
ownership radicals, including the
mayor, who telegraphed for him, but
we are quite ready to agree that the
man has justified his mission.
1T was good thing to have him
here for the exposition he gave of
the way In which municipal business
is conducted in his own city. GLASGOW
has been proclaimed failure by au-
thorities like Mr.. Yerkes and exalted
to the skies by impulsive enthusiasts
like the mayor. Correct estimates
were difficult to arrive at amid the
confusion OF such selfish and ILL
Informed controversy, and Mry Dali
rymple has supplanted guesswork with
convictions. This he has been able
to do because his conduct in a rather
trying situation was such as to in
spire confidence. BY as much as he
was a disappointment as the central,
or next to the central figure in
grand stand play by so much did he
commend himself to people of ration
al minds. Self-contained, energetic,
businesslike and sincere, he exempli-
fled fine combination of traits that
is not infrequent in the Scotch char
acter and compelled respect for his
opinions. We have no doubt whatever
that what he says of Glasgow is true
and that municipal operation of street
railways under the Glasgow manage
ment is genuine success.
But he went straight to the differ
ences between Glasgow and Chicago
and realized Immediately all the
doubts of conservative Americans
about our preparedness for such ven.
lures here. The political aspect of
the question seemed fairly to, appal
him, while the merit system, which
is our chief means of protection
against the spoils, did not strike him
favorably. He minated, as spoils
politicians have done, that it was a
hindrance to business methods, and
he actually meant business, though
business other than the spoils troubles
them so little.
Every significant also was his in.
sistence on the fact that Glasgow was
able to start in clear field with no
puzzling franchise complications, and
certainly the lesson of his comment
is that we should move slowly toward
municipal operation and as rapidly as
we may toward good government and
complete change from our partisan
scheme of municipal politics. In 9TH
err words, it merely enforces the old
moral with which we are so familiar.
The political reform is the condition
precedent to the expansion of the
citys activities, and if Mayor Dunno
is very much in earnest he may pos
sibly prepare the way for municipal
operation by giving us an excellent
administration"