Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1907-03-01
REVERSED or the PEOPLE


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nieApsl o~nsrsaip.
The most dramatic inchdenf In IT,
history q maaaeapsi government g.
eurrei On Nov. I. whea the greatest
city In the worsd reversed lis palley
In regard % municipal Ownership b.
an overwhelming vote. For s~Feras
years the "rrogressages." NJ the ssunk>
ipal ownership party called itself. have
controlled the IAniOn county csaaa
ell. which has charge Of nos matters
affecting the city - = whole. aud u
seventeen ef the tweBty eight borough
councils. whlcA deal with lOcal matters
oaae borough heins noapaEtasan- AfteT
the borough council easctaan 0n Nor !
this party was lift i'm control Of hstst
two horOagtas. having eierted with taseas
| allies. die - called "Iataorites." only
80 councilmen GU of l.362 That II
vas o popular and MT a class vtetssTs
10 shown by the fact that the PRO
gresslves" were beaten worst In the
horuughs where the heaviest vote was
cast.
Surh a p~alitical upheaval must have
"a adequate and the u In
the case was the rapid Increase Ia
taxes. and consequently rents. which
resulted from the taking over by th*
city or It's boroughs % tramways. eaee
trac lighting. waterworks. etc. the
building of luxurious public baths ami
other expenditures Of public money out
az all proportion to the results attain
ed. This l~avishness had raised the hor
ough tax rate in the boroughs control
led by the "progresstves" 20 per cent
above the rate In the other boroughs
A few examples Of the losses Incurred
may be of interest.
In Islington the street lighting Gusts
nearly three times ~ much per mile
A. IN the boroughs lighted by private
companies. In St pancras the cost II
nearly as high. while In woolwIch. IN
spite Of the high cost. the loss for ths
current year Is expected TO reach so.
600. In Bermondsey and Southwark
the councils have refused an offer from
n private company to light the street,
al half the cost under municipal man
agement. The same condition exist
IN commercial lighting. for the Aerate'
Bread company found that the bills TO
Its depots In municipality lighted Dor
oughs were iIG per cent higher thal
= the rate paid to private companies.
In shoreditch the paiatiai publ
, baths. built within Ii stones throw o
baths erected by q local phiianthropls'
are now closed for lack Of custom
though interest must still be paid d
the Investment aud the borough ha
lost the taxes previously paid by Tn
. property. And In Poplar each bat
taken In the public baths costs the tar
payers 90 cents In addition to wha
the bather pays for his ticket.
In this borough cases were prove
in which outdoor relief was given Z
families earning $500 a year. equiva
lent to $3.50 In this country, while tn
, fare In the ~workhouse was better tina
could be afforded by the average inds
pendent wage Garner.
Examples Of this sort could be multi
Y piled indefinitely. and the same cond
tons exist In the work carried on b
the London county council. which. ia
example. IL paying a per cent NOR
for inferior brtckwork than the stant
ard contract price for the best worl
The failure of its municipal ferry
typical Of It's waste Of public none.
and the county council election to b
Q held next spring IL expected to resul
, similarly to the borough council ele,
, ton.
The Pail Mall Gazette sums the 81,
i uation up by saying:
"You may confiscate capital, but 20
cannot confscate that mighty force O
self interest which belongs to the grea
generating station Of all human nj
tfvity. Municipal trading. conducte
by amateurs and financed out or a
open and tottomless pocket al neve
be more than a weak and false imita
ton Of real commerce and industr,
II the city council collected Its capita
by the issue Of prospectuses to tn
public. who would invest a sovereig
or the faith Of It's promises or the rer
utation Of its directing committees
And II the ratepayer Is wise he wi
take care that his money does not I'm
; Its way by compulsion into specula
: lions where he most assuredly woul
lever place 1t by choice"