Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-01-19
DUNNE IN DENVER
MAYOR OF CHICAGO TALKS ON
MUNICIPAL wNERsHiP.
OUR COUNTRY LAes BEHIND
Tells What He Saw in Europe-Thinss
Managed Better There-oeseants
on the Tyranny Of Monopoiies.

Denver.-Mayor Edward i. Dunno OF
Chicago arriyes In Denver I .ursday
and met cordial reception, such as
has seldom been accorded TO visiting
| officials. At night he addressed u
large audience at the Woman's Club.
the hall being crowded 10 its utmost
capacity. His address was. In part. an
follows:
In the year 1900. while on a visit
| to Europe, | sent telegram from In
| terlaken to l.uceTne, in Switzerland. II
cost me somewhere about cents In
| American money. | ~as astounded ut
the smallness of the charge. and upon
| making inquiry discovered that the tel
egraph system of Switzerland was In
the hands OF the government and opcr'
ated by II. This started me upon n
train of thought and investigation. II
| n publicly owned telegraph system In
Switzerland could be- operated at such
prices. why should not the United
States he able 10 do likewise:
Upon pursuing my Investigations !
discovered tha; every civilized country
upon earth except three. Honduras.
Costa Rica-If memory serves mt
rIsht-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 corr-
tries the railroads. street ear systems.
electric light systems. gas systems. wa.
| ter systems and telephon. systems
were being operated by th. 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 a; arn:h length and
has the right to make a free and vol.
uninry contract. II the character OF
the goods that he seeks TO purchase is
not satisfactor, or tho price II unrea.
sonablc he may 30 elsewhere. He IL
not bound TO deal with any one person
or corporation In the purchase of such
necessities Of life. But when he comes
J to utiiix. the telegraph. iho telephone.
| the street car. the steam railway. or To
purchas. gas or electric lish, he finds
himself deprived Of the right of free
contract. He must TAX" such service
ms is offered him and pay the price de-
mandcd.
II his gas Is Of deficient quality nr
the price N too hirh. he must either
pay his bill or hay. his meter jcrkcd
4
isfnctory or the price unreasonable he
must stand and deliver or have his
| telephone wires cut. u he objects To
the service given him upon street
| car or the pric. charged he must either
pay or be thrown of. In other words
In dealing with public utility compa.
nics and In purchasing from Them
these lattcr.day nccossari.s of life. he
is deprived of the right of free con.
trnct and must TAX. such service ms In
offered and pay the price demanded.
He IL face to face with monopoly
and individual protest or objection ms
against such monopoly Is absolutely
unavailable.
| These monopolios In privic hands
/ ms most Of them are in this country
are conducted for the private gain Of
the stockholders. The aim Of the man
ngemcnt IL to make moEcy-to give Ms
little service for as high a price as can
be exncted from the community. Tho
very fact that In this country public
| utilities have been and still are in pri.
vatc hands has given rise to serious
abuscs-overcrowdcd street cars. nm.
clean street cars. irregular schedules
and deficient service.
In the case OF gas. telephone and
electric light companies we have OK.
cessivc charges, unsatisfactory service
and insolcnce on the part of the ON.
GERS md agents of the companies when
complaint is made either as 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. ana 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
1 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 is shown by
| the report of the American consul. li2
cities of Great Britain owHs'd and op.
Grated their own street car systems.
| That number has been largely In.
creased since then. and to-day there
| are twenty-tOur 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 sam. countries 33i
cities and towns are operating their
own electric light systems. leaving
only ia in that Kingdom which are
privately owned. a great number OF
British cities are owning and operating
their own telephone systems and
within the last few months the gov
ernment of Great Britain made a large
appropriation for the taking over bv
| the general government of the tele-
| phone systems of the kingdom.