Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-10-05
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New Orleans, Oct. Sin spite of ali
the talk of municipal and government
ownership OF public utilities which has
been going on throughout the country
for years, 1t has remained for Monroe,
Louisiana city of 10000, to open the
ball with the first municipality owned
street car line.
On September 20 with an old-fash-
ioned southern barbecue and general
jolliflcation this street car line was
formally opened. In the meantime
cars are being run over the line and
the people of Monroe are enjoying the
novelty of ride on street car line
which they themselves own.
Eight years ago Monroe elected as
mayor DR.. Andrew A. Forsythe.
man with ideas. He believed in do
ing things, and the first thing he was
pledged to do by. the platform ON
which ne was elected was to make
Monroe an up to date city. The re-
suits of the last eight years show
what man can do If he makes up
his mind to do Il. uht.
The year that Mayor Forsythe arst
took office Louisiana adopted a new
state constitution, which permitted
municipalities to issue bonds for pub
lie improvements, At the election
$155,000 was voted, Monroe being the
| first city in the state to take advan-
tage of the new proposition, there be-
ing only eight votes against the issue.
This money was to be spent as fol-
lows: Street paving, $4,000; sewer
system, $4,000; charity hospital, $5.-
000 high school building, $4,000;
light and power plants, 100000.
Prior to this time the only public
utilities in Monroe were water and
lighting plants, which were owned by
private concerns. The service in both
cases was poor, and tax of 3.5 mills
had been previously voted to pay the
private companies for service. The
new mayor had shown the people that
If these franchises were profitable to
the private companies they were much
more valuable to the city itself. The
100000 in bonds voted for that pur-
pose was used in buying the two
plants, and Monroe had begun its
march toward complete municipal
ownership. The special tax was at
once abolished, and light and water
were furnished at the old rate. Since
then the two plants have been prac-
tically rebuilt, new machinery costing
over $4,000 having been installed.
The bond issue proved inadequate
for the carrying out of all the plans
made by the mayor, and recourse was
had to the general fund TO make up
the deficiency. For instance, only $780,
600 had been voted for the high school
building, but so generously did the
general fund yield that the building
was built at cost of $4,000.
So well had Mayor Forsythe done
that he was reelected by very large
majority. Then came the crowning
work of his administration, the cam
paign for a municipality owned street
car line. The fight began in 1903 and
was carried into the legislature in
1904 1t being necessary for the city
to secure a new charter before the
work could be undertaken.
Corporations which desired TO Sc
cure the street railway franchises
fought the matter in the legislature,
but Mayor Forsythe and his friends
won out. In the meantime a special
tax oil mills for 10 years had been
voted. The fund thus raised was to
be used for public improvements. in
cluding, in addition to the street rail-
way, new city hall, city prison and
market house. Upon this tax and
other revenues to come were issued
certificates of payment" bonds in
everything but name. Mayor For
sythe's opponents attempted to dis
credit these securities and were so
successful that the raising of the
money was blocked for a year. But
the indomitable mayor finally negotiat-
ed the certificates and the work was
begun.
In connection with the street car
line the city has purchased for $4O.-
900 a trace OF 1870 acres for use as
a park and fair ground. To this park
the new car line extends. II has been
named Forsythe park. It contains a
theater. a track with large
grand stand, base ball grounds and
other forms of amusement.
But even with all this success May
or Forsythe Is not yet satisfied AS
soon as the street car line and city
hall were completed he took up the
matter OF interurban car lines, and
is maturing plans to connect Monroe
by electric car line with all the towns
and cities within a radius Of nifty
miles.