Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-01
WOULD RETARD
CITY'S GROWTH
SAYS MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
is DELUSIoN
Railway Magnate Declares Wonderful
Growth Of Los Angeles Is Largely
Due to Splendid Management
Of Railway Systems

Municipal ownership would retard
the growth Of Los Angeles or any other
city," says F. M. Murphy, prominent
banker, railway man and capitalist of
Prescott, Arizona, who is at the Alex
andria hotel.
Mr.. Murphy Is president of the Pres
colt National bank and the Santa Fe,
prescott q Phoenix railroad and he is
also directorein several other compa-
MES. 1t was to attend meetings of some
OF these companies that he came to Los
Angeles.
This city has had a wonderful
growth, and in my mind it is important
that there should be nothing to retard
that growth" said he.
Il have seen municipal ownership
tried in other cities and / have studied
the question quite thoroughly. People
may say that because L am in an official
position in several companies / am
a corporation man and can see only one
side of the question, but such is not the
case.
"A man in my position finds the ne
cessity of studying such a question, and
we make 1t our business to keep in close
touch with all movements in this direc-
ton.
Would Aid Political Bosses
Municipal ownership sounds good
and men who aspire to places in the
city's service find in it political capital
and campaign argument. 1t sounds
well and the working people think that
1t might help to- better their condition,
but in reality it will not, for the street
railway or other utility controlled by
the city soon becomes a big political
machine.
Men hold their positions by voting
as the bosses of the machine tell them
to. They are slaves of the political
bosses, and whichever party happens to
be in power can use the public utility
machine for it's own gain.
while there are politics there should
be no municipal ownership, any more
than there should be government own
ership of railroads.
1T is impossible to keep politics out
Of municipal ownership, and as long as
human nature is as it is there could be
no improvement. What reason have we
to suppose that the people in charge of
the municipality are above grating?
Take the case of the Pacific Electric
Railway company. There is not a finer
street railway system in the land. 1t Is
% Mr. Huntington's interest to make 1t
The best in, the country. He knows it |
S to his interest to give the people what
hey want, and he gives it to them.
'Mr. Huntington is a trained railway
nan. He knows the business from one
end to the other, and he sees through
the eyes of trained men who are in his
employ. He is eminently better fitted
to control the street railway system Of
Los Angeles than any set of city Off
cials who know nothing of the business
TO be an efficient head of any business
a man must know the bus
mess from A to u. He must be trained
and to put the control of large business
or public utility into hands that are not
trained is a grave mistake. '
People Now Have Power
"As it is, the city council controls the
franchise and thus even If Mr.. Hunt
ngton did not see what is best to do,
did not see that it is best to give the
people what they want, the council
could make him do so. If the council
was in direct control of the railway
he people would be powerless, for they
could not get the council to do what
they wanted done at the right time. |
When Mr.. Huntington wants to spend
$780, 900 or $1,000,000 on his system he
does it, He makes his improvements
Just when they are most needed, and
net as the city council would have to
make them-when the bonds had been
voted. The city oft1cialS have quite as
much to take care of now as they can
handle properly, and sometimes city
officials cannot manage what they have
On their hands already to the satisfac-
tier o. the people.
The change in Los Angeles in the last
few years has been marvellous.
Il was attending meeting a couple |
Of days ago in which mep from almost
every part of America were sitting.
Some came from New York, one from
and others from points north,
south and east, but all had gathered in
Los Angeles. 1t is getting to be quite |
4 center for meetings, and many men
are glad of the chance to come west to |
attend. The eyes of the country are
turned on this city more or less all the |
time, and during the next few years
nothing should be done which will not |
help along the growth and development
Of the CITY,"