Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-10-24

OF which was doubled in the last ten
Years; facilities have been provided
and many magnificent buildings have
been erected at the state university,
which was nearly trebled in size during
the last decade, and ranks today as
the leading state university in the
country"
Public Service Corporations.
The most important issue of the
campaign is the regulation of public
service corporations. The republican
platform speaks in no uncertain terms
Oh this subject. 1t says: 1--WE
pledge ourselves to the enactment Of
law providing for the regulation II
rates of service of all public service
corporations, similar to that now ex-
ercised over railroads. The same
reason exists for controlling the rates
OF water, electric lights, gas tele-
phone, telegraph and street railway
companies and other public service
corporations, as for controlling trans
portation rates.
We pledge ourselves to the enact.
ment Of law providing for the reg
ulation of the issue of stocks and
bonds of all public service corpora
tions, giving the Wisconsin railroad
commission supervisory control over
! the same, and by appropriate provl-
sions, preventing the issue of any
such stocks and bonds except for act
ual value"
Ttese corporations, welcomed by
the cities to furnish them with public
| utilities of light, gas, water and trans
portation were in most in ,tances
granted exclusive franchises. They
have maintained exorbitant charges,
out Of all reason with the service
which they have granted. Petitions
for relief have been ignored. All ar
/ gIment has been in vain. Under their
franchises competition Is impossible
and the public isat the mercy of the
| corporations. Operating under the
franchise to discharge a public SER
wee, the state, as a sovereign body,
possesses the power to regulate these
corporations, insuring charge which
will be reasonable for the service.
The city Of Madison recently
sought to compel the Madison Gas &
Electric company to reduce its rates
/ to reasonable basis The company
naturally refused, and in the legal
action resulting, the supreme court
laid down this important and far
reaching doctrine, that while the city
did not possess the right to regulate
this corporation yet the legislature
had the power to fix and determine
the rates to be charged by local pub.
lie service corporations and that sucl
power might be delegated to the
municipalities. In this decision the
supreme court pointed the way for
intelligent state action"
! No Scientific Basis for Charges.
! In the field of these public service
corporations. there is an utter lack of
! any definite relation between gross
capitalization output or service, gross
/ earnings and earnings per unit of
plant. There is absolutely no scien-
tific basis for the determining of their
rates for service. Only a superficial
knowledge Is needed to prove that
these corporations. after experiment.
ing and feeling of the public pulse,
have each adjusted their services and
rates to the most profitable point,
consistent with the least public out
Cry. John Stuart Mill the great
! economist, said that charges fer ser
vices with which we cannot dispense
are as much form of taxation as il
levied by law Nothing is more APP
parent than that the operation of
these companies placing an excessive
burden upon our cities. presents a
situation of vital and profound inter
est, requiring the earliest considera-
ton of the legislature. Rates are
higher in Wisconsin. cities than in
other states similarly situated. In 16
of the largest and most important
cities of the United States the rates
for gas are considerably lower than
is charged in Milwaukee. The citi-
zens of Milwaukee are required to
pay IA per cent more for lighting gas
ou4 : n ~. ,o,t ,,,A-e for fllpl gas