The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1906-10-19
CITY OWNERSHIP
REPUDIATED
REPEATED FAllJeEe nao-
THEORY NOT PRACTICAL.
Investigations Show Results Different
from Those Painted by Social
istie Speakers.

bos Moines. Iowa Tho dlsclosures
MM'h nave been made Ia Omaha Con-
Ssthihs the failure OF municipal owner
s s,,l in mat city have attracted wide
spread attention over the entire rount5v
ana eclally have the people ~ lava
GU adjoining states watched the devel-
oaIi"e ~ y, WIN great interest. both be-
80 s'1e ~ the proximity OF Omaha as well
as because on the general priDclrl. a.,
NeiFen ~ the Omaha troubles
s,.,iil', uIht ago the entire middle west
a''tu'd with municipal ownershlp iaoas
ana fads. but the showing made in 0nas
- itas set up a train OF investiratIons
oss c,eSe VINO really wanted 10 know the
,t,.t1' ana the result has been that
lno.sands who formerly We're advocates
- - llls leea nave now changed their
minus ana are as much opposed "a tbefr
,lLts owning the street cars .la9fric
+suts' gas systems telephones etc "a
lley formerly were In favor of such
ownership.
When the Iowans began looking
arounu ana investigating municipal own
sIsnlp. they found that not alone was
thal system failure in Omaha. but mat
IA various other parts ~ the rn,,r ~,
shnllar reports were being made For
,'ss'ln,e, NJ uncie. Ind. which has for
ia' apantoned the cty-owned plant and |
nts gone back to a privately owned |
,ulc hght company In Richmond /
iilu-' the mayor. who was elected thee /
urnes on a municipal ownership ticte,
nas recommended that the city sell lis /
,.Seulc lght plant and 20 back To a !
,n5 'se Sol porauon, Logansport. Marion |
tltu several other Indiana cities are adj |
nDcatlhg the same thing and there al
Mtys remains the city Of Hamilton Ohio
- ~ "ateiworks claimed AT one time
-. model OF municipal ownership
results under official invostiqation
showed itself to be reeking win rraft
b,,rder source OF constantly increasing
'Itu.h ipr the tax payers
NJ. ~ Cihdua, the municipal market house
VS. complete failure and a total loss
anu to-day stands without a tenart
This. together with tbe sS,pa,, '','an'.
III the waterworks muddle has stirred
y, .''''l9 NhNIAyers TO point where they
60, HiecitIlng that Omaha has had
~ municipal ownership. must get
llu OF what IL now has on hand and
q, t,,ust tnen give the fad a wide berth for
Az time TO come
because OF the poliffcal ttrroe. 90 49,. |
y lsconsin and other middle west states
ne agltators who are preaching munici-
~ wv litishlp socialism and other the |
= - OF IS KIND. gained a ready hear
lls anu Tor time seemed To be maklnp.
\ 'e,"Nay ala gaining adherents in every
'lreeuon- But the fundamental hard
.o,hlnon sense OF the westerners would
iet permit them 10 accept the mere word
y the sociaiisilc siren, however sweefiv
,-ns lhey begun Investigating for
ourselves They wanted TO know how
aI me municipal ownership theory Ubed
With the results
one OF the very first results Of these
n'tt.st N,ih ior municipal ownership
insnated from socialistic headquarters
AiiI%au kee. Paterson. y. J.. ana chi
t-o- Tie socialists openly hoasfed thar
iey had inaururated the campaign 40
2 entering wedge for their beliefs with
~ s,.p.cAtion that their cause would
Then. again. il was found that vber-
yer municipal ownership was in opera- y
~ taxes htd been Increased. the serv-
IS rendered We're inadeQuatc and that Il
horde Of political heelers were kent in
hecufes AZ the public expense The n
DIX nowhere was conducted as eco n
ID developed the business. waste WIS
IT'S height. Political rings were
rengthened on every side and the party
stem 'n w5s 20 re 70 power when the
wer right along. The public officials
re not men with tho proper training
wing no technical knowledge an the
siness and therefore the city's busi-
= suffered. Individual EFFORT was dis
lraged ana young men filled with a.,
lsiasm 10 make something ~ tbor-
YES found that their services we've
NY not wanted hy the political bosses
q ,, usnaliL ruled ne municipality owned
skin in the work IN Question maj
wanted or that was employed
lat was wanted. the sole ouaiifratio,
handed was political "puli''-tbe re-
mend alton ~ some peanut political
VINO 'n ne majority 81 cases was
tpn-lropcrtv owners who ,ve-a H.
( eating tho subject suddenly discov-
Z that whereas they had been taught
believe that an the increased taxes
sed by municipal ownership were
i 10y the rich and hy the owners ~
estate. that eventually the increased
alton was shifted TO the shoulders of
poor man himself N the way OF In
ised rents and increased cost of SIM
8 and raw materials This point VAS
81 the clinchers which caused many
-refCTr Ylqrra
ing the beauties OF municipal own
liz.
'cording 10 reports. the citizens OF
aha are concentrating tharusal,..s
they discovered early In the game
the municipal ownership road was
altogether rosy. and that they did
rush pelimell TO acquire the public
Ice corporations OF their city at a
OF many millions. which would
ltually have TO be paid in the shane
Ugh taxes and higher rents. On the
r hand, the average Omaha citizen
rs 10 have decided that he wants no
municipal ownership. but would
er get rid Of even that little bit OF
system which the city already has
is sentiment Is gaining ground rap
all over the middle west The solid
lie have made up their minds that
viii think good many times be-
they snake themselves the cat's-paw
lot of long-haircd socialistic cranks
have seen through the s0cialistic
?. They are getting tired OF being
as entering wedges FOR rank social TO
by voting for the gradual extension A
minary process on extending munic. year
operations and ownership Of enter ish
e middle west and everywhere else the
Y Europe. rs the former mu- mir;
IN. OF New York city. has So re re- prop
Y tes,iiedIhas shown are better ad- up I
m OF private control and indiyidtai sync