Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-14
Opponents of Municipal Control
of Utilities Operating a
Press Bureau
PAPERS lNNocENTLY INVOLVED
Articles Prepared Under the Guise Of
News Found to be LOADED" When
Carefully Perused-some Interesting
History of the Polk County Repub-
lican Club.
Special to rimes-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. 14.-A Des Moines
| newspaper man gets paid by a corpor-
alton bureau for every article against
municipal ownership that he succeeds
in getting published anywhere. Re-
Gently an Iowa newspaper editor ex-
posed the fact that a bureau is main
tanned in Chicago for the purpose OF
conducting a campaign to educate the
people Of the country against municip-
al ownership. Many editors are aware
OF the presence and existence Of this
bureau and know that they can get
paid for running matter that knocks
on municipal ownership. They do not
know that when they refuse to run
"colored" matter the bureau has other
innocent ways of getting stuff into
their papers.
There is another way. Des Moines
correspondents are offered 50 for every
article that they can get printed that
is Knock on municipal ownership.
This correspondent has been given the
offer. Since that time articles have
been appearing in many of the state
papers, dailies mostly, that are
knocks" on municipal ownership. The
reports of the inspectors of municipal
accounts Of the state auditors office
ypdor The pax,, la N, no ccod hv tho rThir.
ty-first general assembly are especial-
ly fruitful field for these knocks. !"
The figures given by George Pencil;
the Inspector can easily be twisted SO
as to turn the argument into one
against municipal ownership.
AS matter of actual fact, there has
not been a report filed by Pennell but
what shows the municipal ownership
plants in the state to be on paying
basis and saving the people money on
their water and electric lights. In ev-
cry city where the city has purchased
the plant the rates have been lowered
to the people, the plants are paying in
terest on investment and keeping
themselves in repair and still accumu-
lating surplus.
nc ICROkl Va 1uSPSSSOI CAAS1A upOA
the city Of Oelwein has not word to
show that the water works plant own
ed by the city is not a paying invest
ment. 1t does show that the city clerk
embezzled $1,000 of the funds. A story
was sent out from this city, the first
paragraph Of which reads as follows:
THE most startling expose of municip-
al management in Iowa and fragrant
violation of trust imposed by taxpayers
in city officials thru municipal owner
ship of public utilities is made in the
report Of affairs of Oelwein by Mu-
nicipal Examiner George e. Pennell, Of
the state auditors office"
The only case Of mismanagement
that is told in the article that follows
is the embezzlement of the $1,000.
There is nothing to show but that the
municipal ownership is success in
Oelwein.
When Pencil examined the accounts
of the city OF Atlantic he found that in
buying the electric light plant the city
had. in order to hurry the purchase,
taken money from the water works
plant income which was not according
to law. He criticised it and tho his
report now on file with the state aud
itor shows that both plants were d
success in that they were supplying the
public at cheaper rates than the cor
porations and still making money, an
article was sent out giving facts and
figures to show that, municipal owner
ship is failure, at Atlantic.
90 .
The question of changing the form
of the city government of Des
between the people and the Des
Moines street railway, just as is every
fight of political nature in this city.
The street railway has controlled the
selection Of the county auditor for
years and the auditor appoints the
election judges and the election judges
select the jury lists which are allowed
to lay around carelessly so that it be-
comes possible for them to be tam
pered with. Finally when the panels
are drawn they are taken from box
that does not mix them and the names
drawn, out are the last ones put in.
Just now there is activity over the
question OF changing the form of the
city government The street car COM
pany controls the city government even
more effectually than 1t did the jury
selections. 1t always dictates the Sc
lection Of the mayor and as many al
derman as it can control and usually
manages to have majority on the city
council All of the city council with
one or two exceptions are opposed to
any change in the present form of city
government. Also the Polk county re-
publican club is opposed to any change
in the form of city government.
The Polk county republican club is
ganized some two years or more ago
by Jack Chamberlain, an attorney reg,
ularly in the employ Of the street rail-
way company. Two or three other
persons who are regularly employed by
the street railway Or are its hangers-on
are high officials of the Polk county
republican club. w. H. Brereton, al
dermanat-large OF the city of Des
Moines, is president of the Polk county
republican club. He was the author Of
the franchise bill that Alderman Ham
was withdrawn from the city council
as soon as General Manager George
Hippee of the street railway was ar
rested for the bribery.
Jack Chamberlain, attorney for the
street railway and the man who gets
the right Of way for the interurban
lines, is chairman Of the executive