The Ordway new era., 1906-01-19
|DUllllE N Den /!
uAvoa o. cn,cAoo TALp<e oN
aauMiclpAL oWMGMsH'p.
our COUNTRY LAes sfH'Hp
Tells What hs saw In Eureps-Thinas
Managed Setter Thsrs-ossea"s''
on the Tyranny Of Monepoliss.

!. Deuyer.-Mayor Edward F. Dunno OF
| Chicago arrived In Denver Thursda!
and met cordial reception. such AZ
has seldom been accorded to visiting
officials. At night he addressed
large audience ut the Woman's CIup.
the hall being crowded to It's utmost
; capacity. His address was. In part. as
| follows:
In the year 1900. while op visit
| to Europe, sent telegram from IN
terlakcn TO Lucerne. In SwitxerIanu' IL
| cost me somewhere about $ cents In
American money. l was astounded At
| the smallness of the charge, and upon
making inquiry discovered that the tel
egraph system OF Switzerland was In
the hands OF the government ana opcr-
ated by II. This started me upon
train OF thought and investigation. II
a publicly owned telegraph system IN
Switzerland could be operated ut such
prices. why should not the United
States he able to do likewise?
Upon pursuing my investigations l
discovered that every civilized country
upon earth except three. Honduras.
Costa Ricn-if memory serves me
right--and the United States. owned
and operated their own telegraph sys'
TENS. | further discovered that not
only were the telegraph systems OF the
world being operated as public utilities
In public hands. but that In many coun-
tries the railroads. street car systems.
electric light systems. gas systems. wa
ter systems and telephone systems
were being operated by the public. and
found that there was reason why
such utilities should be In public In
stead of private hands.
When one seeks TO do business with
his butcher. his grocer. his dry goods
merchant. his doctor. his lawyer or his
plumber. he stands at arms length and
has the right TO make free and vol
untary contract. II the character of
the goods that he seeks to purchase is
not satisfactory or the price Is unrea-
sonable he may go elsewhere. He Is
not bound to deal with any one person
or corporation in the purchase OF such
necessities OF life. But when he comes
to utilize the telegraph. the telephone.
the street ear. the steam railway, or TO
purchase gas or electric light he finds
himself deprived OF the right OF free
contract He must take such service
as Is offered him and pay the price dc
mnnded.
II his gas is OF deficient quality or
the price Is too high. he must either
pay his bill or have his meter jerked
out. II his telephone service ls unsat-
isfactory or the price unreasonable he
must stand and deliver or have his
telephone wires cut. ir he objects To
the service given him upon street
car or the price charged he must either
pay or be thrown on. In other words
In dealing with public utility compn-
nies and in purchasing from them
these latter-dny necessaries OF life. he
Is deprived OF the right of free con-
tract and must take such service as IL
offered and pay the price demanded.
He H. face to face with n monopoly
and individual protest or objection as
against such a monopoly Is absolutely
unavailable.
These monopolies In privte hands
as most of them are In this country
are conducted for the private gain OF
the stockholders. The aim of the man.
agemcnt Is 10 make money-to give M
little service for as high a price ns can
be exactcd from the community. The
very fact that In this country public
utilities have been and still are In pri.
yate hands has given rise to serious
abuses-overcrowded street cars. un-
clean street cars. irregular schedules
and deficient service.
In the case OF gas. telephone and
electric light companies we have cx.
ccssive charges. unsatisfactory service
and insolence on the part OF the OIL.
GERS and agents OF the companies when
complaint Is made either NJ to price
or the character OF service.
This state OF affairs has brought
about in many cities OF the United
States n growing dissatisfaction on
the part of the public. md this dis.
satisfaction has developed into an agi-
tation In favor OF the ownership and
operation of these utilities by the pub.
lie. That agitation has grown with
tremendous strength within the last
few years. and to-day. throughout the
cities of the United States. We are
face to face with the question as to
whether municipal ownership of public
utilities must be put into force to rem
edy the evils OF private management.
Strange to say. this country, which
has been in the vanguard OF progress
In all other matters. has been among
the last among the civilized countries
OF the world to take up and seriously
discuss this question.
On February is. 1904. as In shown by
| the report of the American consul. 142
| cities of Great Britain owned and op.
Grated their own street car systcm6.
| That number has been largely in.
creased since then. and to-day there
are twcnty.four more cities now con.
structing municipal street railways,
In Great Britain and Ireland 2S2 cities
now own and operate their own gas
works. In the same countries 33l
cities and towns are operating their
own electric light systems. leaving
only ia In that kingdom which arc
privately owned. a great number oi
British cities are owning and operating
their own telephone systems and
within the last few months the gov.
crnment of Great Britain made large
| APPROXIMATION for tho fakinu ouos ~.