The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-27

Tswn. ~.
To rxs EpI7on or TEE sUx-.str: ~ -
| 4 rather strange coincidence that on une
vary morning that THH Sun announces
that Mr.. Odeli declared for fusion. WIN .
tnuniclpAi ownership - campaign CRY,
there should come to my HANDS COPY
Of the plstform OF tbs Sociaiistio psIss;
which made its nomin atoms TOT . 'oosi
ticket In Canton. Ohio. on the night OF Aus.
10. Permit mo 10. quote the FOLLOWING ''oA'
the Socialist platform:
First Municipal ownership and operation OF
ssress railways. gas and electric lighting. power
ana heating plants. telephones. ana sacn owner
necessities % are used 70 tax the puoiic Sof pNvs
proat--Such operation 70 DO solely FOR sne puIposc
Of decreasing the cost 10 the consumer, Increasing
the efhoieuey OF the service ano pe'ser'ns "o WV
dition Of the employees-
The platform then. In subdivtsions tnst
are marked "a" "B' and &C. &C.. further
provides for 'the extension OF public WORKS
10 relieve the unemployed" and stu an
other subdivision provides for tho buuo-
Ing By the municipality OF homes ior work-
in1 people, 10 rent at cost" Then the DO
cialistlo platform says:
We wern tho workers against municipal owner-
ship under O. piAiistic parties. The income iFom
public utilities would then 70 70 pay Interest on
bonds and 70 decrease taxation. The workers
would still b exploited, whether under pnva'e
ownership twocdledum or public ownership twee.
dledee. The csptalistic class would control. no.
the working class: and the capitAlhtic class woulo
reap the main benefit, not the working class IN
der the capitalistio parties. municipal ownership
would be q SOP thrown to working men TO Keep
them quiet uncer the Socialist party municipal
ownsrship would be . step toward Socialism
In the resolutions adopted at the meet
ings Of the executive bodies OF the kepup-
llcan city and county committee Yesterday
H. 81 IL tv,av u
Il 70 the purpose Of the Republican party 70 e.
feet such fusion. and 70 give Its full power In the
coming election In the support Of
to an administration Of the AFFAIRS OF this city I'm
der which tho public utility corporations Will not
be the masters Of the people OF this city
1t 10 worth while remembering that when
the Hon. Tim Sullivan returned from Eu-
rope. . few days ago. the CONGRESSMAN
from the Bowery. probably after much
thought, anyway after a study Of munic-
ipal ownership abroad. said that with
municipal ownership here in New York
Tammany Hall would remain In power for
q period of $50 years at least.
While in some instances 1t is made to ap-
pear that municipal ownership has been q
success, still think you will agree with the
writer that In the vast majority OF the to wns
tried In this country municipal ownership
has been . failure.
In . conversation to-day with a promi-
nent politician, q Republican at that, the
latter uahssitatingiy said that while the
municipal ownership issue will probably be
the one on which his party would have the
calcium light turn most prominently, still
at the Same time. he said. those who would
vote for municipal ownership would do so
with little or no understanding of what IT
really means. He went even further and
said that with that plank In the platform
the fusion ticket would be elected this fall.
but added "Of course, while the Repub-
lican platform would promise municipal
ownership. the promise could not be made
good, and any one knows there is not town
or city in this country that would purchase
and control all the public utility plants that
would not become bankrupt"
Under these circumstances. and with all
the lessons that have gone before. Is 1t wise
for party TO 70 before the voters at this time
with tha municipal ownership bu6aboo?
NEW YORK, Aug. 70. A Sun READER.