New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-23
Il Study of the Seamy Side of
Municipal O1enership.

Company.
Af,er having had our short comings dinned
,,,o our ears Cor a long season, Il IS gratifying
~ be told that, after all. we are not the vilest
-,hl5, that the world har5ors. II an account
If The more grievous blunders of other peo-
ne can contribute 10 our own complacency,
,ba, surely Mr.. Porter's book ought to be the
he's. seller OF the year European critics, study
a., our national prosperity, have the ankind
,.abir Of insinuatiug that things are booming
,.,, IN spite CT US: our institutions are alleged
- he infested with many sorts of corruption
ga Ignorance. from the disastrous effects Of
,,bich only our minerals and our loan rescue
- In our humility. brought by such crit
=. We have turned 10 older civilizations for
,,,t. and guidance: transatlantic tourists have
brorght back from Germany and England, duty
free prescriptions for prosperity, such as social
Ter, municipal ownership and other nostTums
Al first taste the imported medicines were so
nasty that like spoiled children. we kicked up
a rnss and fatty refused TO swallow them. For
This first disobedience sundry reformers have
.,ol6ed Is soundly, whereat some of Us have
been almost persuaded not 10 resist when the
second dose is administered. Most Opportune
then. is Mr.. Porter's study OF municipal owner
shin. convincing as by arguments and statistics
that our instructive rejection of these Utopan
crhp
Mr.. Porter lifelong student of public affairs
director Of the Eleventh United States Census
and distinguished newspaper correspondent.
has had exceptional opportunities for investi-
eating conditions in both Great Britain and the
United States. Still more important though.
Cor the present case is the Authors experience as
a statistician. which enables him TO through
the fanacies and trickeries of "hggers" In TAX
ing sides on an issue such as the one IN ques-
ton. every intelligent man must feel the diff
Guilty OF getting at the facts; statistics saith the
proverb. can be made 10 prove anything-which
il true Of course If one takes them ct face
value. The ordinary citizen is not an expert ac-
countant: while feeling Obliged TO give some
credence 10 every official balance sheet. he re-
mains az heart a skeptic. The greatest disaster
that can befall a public official or would-be
resorner is TO have his sworn and certified sta
tisticaI tables proved thoroughly corrupt and
gasifving by an uninterested expert. The most
significant part of MT. Porter's present work
consists in his dissectons of the tabuated claims
81 the municipal ownership parties in Great
Britain and other lands. Nothing can throw
such discredit upon a cause the revelation
that all its champions in every part of the world
have resorted to "doctoring' the accounts OF
municipalized enterprises. Such circumstantial
evidence. humanity speaking. outweighs the most
slilful arguments and theories.
For those who find figures duh reading.
though. Mr. Porter has also supplied extensive
discussions Of the practical obstacles which
make municipal ownership unfeasible These
obstacles, Of course. are the deeper grounds Tor
rejecting the proposed reform: they it is which
have forced aldermen and town clerks TO be-
come common liars for the sake OF a false cause.
That these obstacles are insurmountable Mr..
Porter well shows by indicating that they root
IN human nature itself. II the reader Is not
content with statistical criticism showing that
every case OF municipal ownership-barring the
universally granted exception Of municipal
water supply-thus far has proved 20 be a hope
less HEzle, financially socially and morally, he
may be convinced that this failure is not acct
dental by observing some Of the following hui
man traits and their abuse.
Let the socialists rhapsodize a much as they
wiz about the social consciousness and the
minds Of states. the hard fact remains that
brains are confined 10 the interiors Of individual
heads. There was once wordy German who
flied TWO thick volumes trying 10 prove that
society is big over:ul.ng beast with all the
biological and mental powers and peculiarities
OF man. This alcoholic vision has fairly dazzled
many. maybe because It is so much ike the
composite angels Dante saw in heaven. But
those Of Us who have still few interests on
earth are content 70 accept the fact that in all
human affairs for veal and for woe the NOV
ing force the source Of all progress and all re-
treat. is the individual man. His interests and
his alone fill newspapers and fashion states
Whatever opposes his interests. without offer
ing something better in their place. is bad;
whatever aids him in developing most COM
petely IS good. Now. municipal ownership runs
counter 70 higher human aspirations and caters
only to the lower ones. Mr.. Porter shows, by
examples drawn from British ana colonial mis-
adventures. that cities become spectators risk
ing public funds in uncertain enterprises Risk
taking is necessary feature OF all business
but il honestly be INDUCED in only by those
who can bear q possible loss Case after case
has arisen in England and Scotland. though
where. by reason Of inevitable progress in
methods Of lighting telephone and street rail
way construction. communities have been forced
70 give up expensive plants and installations as
a total loss; and for this loss thousands of poor
men had 10 pay who had reserve funds on
which TO draw. The American reader will he
pleased 20 learn that the average municipal tax
per capita in England is nearly three times the
American; and this is largely due TO dead losses
like the above case. Municipal ownership
boasts of more junk heaps than all Jewry.
But if IL IS vicious to make spectators Of
The masses. Il is even worse I'm the long run to
deprive them of Industrial freedom and TO force
them into the ranks OF public servants. Every
check upon human ambitions is intolerable. I'M
less along with it some greater opportunity is
ouened by way Of compensation. But govern
ment monopoly merely limits citizens II expels
them from certain enterprises without opening
Up new fields Of activity. There is something
Fevoltngly Asiatic in che cry OF the municipal
ownership propagandists: Don't try TO run
things. Be content with official post in our
great administrative machine. That win keep