Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-07-08

that holds 80 per cent of his motor
men and conductors"
Politics.
In the course of his report, Profess
sor Commons said:
81 take 1t that the key to the whole
question Of municipal or privat9 own
ership is the question of politics. For
politics is simply the question Of get
ting and Keeping the right kind of
men to manage and operate the ,mu-
nicipal undertakings, or TO supervise,
regulate and bargain with the private
undertakings. The, kinds of business
that we are dealing with are essen7
TALLY ~moponolNs performing a public
service and are compelled 10 make
use Of the streets which are pullic
property. If their owners are rrt-
yalc companies IheY are compelled to
get their franchises and all privileges
of doing business, and all terms and
CONDITIONS OF service irprr the mimic
ipal authorities. Ard in carrying out
their contract with the municipality
they are dealing continually with nut
nicipai officials. Consequently X is
absurd to assume that private owner-
ship is non-poliricai. It is Just as
much a political question To get u
keen honest or business-like munich
pal OllilidAN WHO VIII UNIV 6bbh As
gains with private companies on be-
half of the public and then see that
the bargains are lived up to, as IL is
TO get similar officials 10 operate a
municipal rlant. We DO not escape
politics by %resorting to private owner-
ship-we only get a different kind of
practical politics"
Examples IN Various Cities.
Referring to unfavorable conditions
politically under municipal operation
and citing an investigation of the
Wheeling gas works, Professor CONF
says:
This secretary Of the Wheeling Gas
Trustees, quoted by my colleague as
testifying to the political |rottenness
OF the municipal gas works, is the
same man who testified to the polit-
ical rctteuness of The private gas cleo
triCity n street car companies of
locality. Instead Of relying on
statements, l interviewed a large
humber of officials, politicians, bust
ness men, employees and others, and
checked up his statements respect
both the gas works and the cor
porations. This shows hat while the
gas works are IN politics, the public
service corporations are also i'm poll
lies. The gas employees take part in
the primaries of the republican party
md the motormen and conductors Of
he street car companies are given
Of absence OF pay to work in
primaries of both the republican
democratic parties. Even the Of
.icers of the street railway employees
lnion AXE part in this kind % trac-
politics on behalf of their en-
The councilmen and alder
men nominated and elected in this
way control the municipal gas works
md they control the franchises and
contracts of the private companies.
rhc city Hall Ring is just as much
ring of the political tools Of he
corporations as IL is the ring
# municipal politicians. To pick out
he politics Of the gas works and not
o sec that II is bound up with the
of the private corporations
would be a porVerse and one-sided
IF Investigation The report
lives not selected facts, but all of the
acts In the situation. Indeed, the Sec
etary of TIE Wheeling gas trustees, i'm
lis Indignation towar6s the political
Management of the gas works. re-
erred to by my colleague. was defeat
j in the republican primaries by the
1otormen ana conductors Of the
treet car company on leave OF abb
ence as political workers.
In cities other than Wheeling the
1%rNcntion 81 atem prevails instead Of
he direct primaries. and consequently
was not found that NE wage earns
RS OF the private companies took n
milar active part in political cam
aigns. But in syracuse, Allegheny.
lG|ianapolis and Philadelphia, where
municipal employees are named by
pliticians, it. was found also that
rect car. electric, gas and water
)mpan.es had employed men on the