Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-10-25
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
IDEAS DYING OUT
Delegates TO Annual Convention Dis.
austed at Repeated Failures
of System.


League of municipalities, at its annual
meeting in Chicago last week. refused
to indorse the principle of munlclpai
ownership of public utilities, 1t SOUNDED
the death knell of the remnants of the
municipal ownership fancy in the west,
where II was once so strong, but Where
repeated failures of the fad have caused
the steady, strong characters OF the
descendants of the frontiersmen to revolt
at the idea, which had its origin IN the
socialistic minds of a certain class OF
long-haired immigrants from Europe,
And the fact that the Chicago meeting
failed to indorse the idea is signinffaa aa
of municipal ownership dying out but
since the delegates to that meeting came
from all portions of the country, 1t is
indicative that other portions of the
country, as well as the western sections,
have seen through the fallacy and nave
decided that there is nothing In munich
pal ownership that can really benefit the
rank and file of the people.
The cities and towns of the west were
the first of the country to undertake
on a large scale, the ownership OF water
works. gas companies, electric nghts,
street cars, railroads, etc, and it is note
worthy that the same cities and towns
were the first to repudiate the rad and
TO return to the American system OF
competition, where the business man and
the skilled engineer can have en- charge yc,0 Oh
sion of the politician and the Waro
heeler.
While all the delegates to the Amer
1Can League convention were HOt OppoSSu
to the city ownership of semi -public cor.
porations, yet 1t was conspicuous that
where that system had been tried most
poson fhan M IN tose ees where
nicipal ownership was yet a theory ana
not a condition. Many of the delegates
from those cities where the fad had been
tried argued something like this: You
people where this idea has not been trled
think you know something about 1t, and
theoretically you probably do, but we
who have given municipal ownership a
thorough trial know of the dozens OF
little things that theory does not provlo,e
for, but which, when they arise, Knock
suppostion and hypothesis all to pieces
and make of your theory practical I'M
success and a failure.
Around the hotel Hobbies when the con-
vention was not in session. the delegates
gathered and talked shop, theories ana
fancies." Many who were not delegates,
but who were interested in municlpal
questions, mixed with them, listened to
their talk and gave and took opinions
and stories: And some Of Those 9s, stories, STORIES
pal ownership. From New York came
the story of the failure of the municipal
Staten Stat Cor Island t5ndo ferry o Staten samd
but very bad for the taxpayers of New
York who had to foot the bills. 1t was
shown that while the actual price of the
ferry fare had been reduced few cents,
that the service was bad and that the
ferries were running behind at the rate
of several hundreds of thousands OF DOL,
lars every year Wages had been raised
"out of sight on the city owned boats
but instead of the workmen being OF the
hangers-on of the ward politicians and
pull was necessary In securing JOB.
while worth and ability counted for
nothing. And the, number of employees
had been increased almost 100 per cent
on each boat
Southern Indiana had a dozen failures
the most notable. At that city the mu:
nicipality, which had for years owned
ITS electric light plant, this summer hat
entirely abandoned its own plant anc
had gone back to private contract
where it was possible to get better sery:
from that state which had grown tired
of the fad and its mayor, who has held
ship platform has publicly backed dowr
And declared that he no longer believes
In his platform. He recommended thai
Richmond sell it's electric plant, ant
make contract with a privately owned
company. Marion, Logansport and q
number of other Indiana cities also tolt
lstories OF the same kind and result.
From the middle west came the story
of Waterloo, Iowa, which had refused, a
a general election to construct ruo,, mnnc
where there is mess of the waterwork:
deal by which the city is liable to b'
forced into buying sS,OCOOOO plant at {
attempts at municipal ownership have
been practical failures; from Denver
known in the state has gone agains
municipal ownership; and from various
other cities and towns, where the fala
cies of the fad have been exposed anC
the taxpayers have decided that the!
don't want any more of 1t.
The reasons given by the delegates TO
their opposition to municipal ownership
were various. These delegates, in man!
cases, were men who have studied 70
years and years the effects of munisipa
and the conclusions reached by then
may be considered as the opinions of ex
Perts in their lines one t6o of tb the opinion
ownership system fastened upon the cit.
a most pernicious. political ring of graft
tinued in power from year to year b,
their control of the utility company
And in order to continue in this control
these rings. appointed their henchmel
to the positions, leaving the. deserving
workmen and competent craftsmen on
altogether You vote yet for the fhd maehn
And the machine. in turn, grated at tn
expense of the public.
Another reason was that the idea wa
simply a branch of socialism and wa
being used by socialists to extend thei
beliefs in other directions. In fact, SO
+cialists boosted that municipal OWNERSHIP
was to be the entering wedge whic
would lead to their other 'isms" bein
accepted.
Some of the delegates opposed it be
cause 1t increased taxes, not to the ric
man, but to the mechanic and to tn
everyday man. who was forced to pa
higher rents and everything else whe
dividual effort awaited nothing unde
that system and that a young man anX
ious to work and to rise in the worl
stood absolutely no chance with the pc
iitical grafters who controlled thing:
In fact, the reasons put forward b
those who had studied the fad" wer
40 numerous and weighty, and were S
well grounded on common sense tina
many of the delegates who came arden
admirers of the system, went home thor
oughly disguised with municipal owner
ship in every form.