The log cabin Democrat., 1907-02-07
Second Affirmative. L, E. Hutchins.


 men:
 The trend of cities in the United States toward municipal ownership of waterworks proves that munich pal ownership is foregone conclu- sion. Of the fifty largest cities in the United States, forty-one now Town their waterworks; 75 per cent I in Massachusetts, 78 per cent i'll Illinois, ST per cent in Michigan, 87 per cent in Minnesota, 88 per cent in Nebraska. In brief, 54 per cent of all the water plants in the United States are owned and operated by municipalities.
 Here is what Mayor Dunne of Chicago says: "The movement toward municipal ownership in Chicago, I believe, is irresistible and can not be withstood. {" Let us hear something of the condi- tions in Europe. Chas. E. Russell tells us that: '''Private ownership of public utilities seems doomed in Europe. The practical demonstra- tions are all against it. The most obvious trend of thought is surely destructive of it. Originally in the
 cities private owership was the
 rule, in a few years 1t will be
 rarely found exception"
 A few weeks ago we were look Hing over some of the back mum bers of the Engineering News of New York City. In that magazine < there is to be found special z column where everything current i in regard to waterworks is given. Eve found that during the last 4 twelve months at least thirtyfiv 8 cities have undertaken to supply 3 their own water. Some places did ] not have waterworks previously | but many bought out or forced out the private company which had l hitherto furnished the city's water l supply. The following are the names of some of the places where the supply was inadequate and i'm pure under private ownership:
 Medina, Ohio; Winthrop, Maine; Newark, Ohio; Richland and Clarksville, Georgia. We could easily name a number of other cities which for various reasons
 have only recently begun to sup ply their own water.
 sS We shall prove as our second i. Point, ladies and gentlemen, that political evils of private ownership are greater than those under public
 ownership for we should notice, not
 only the trend of public sentiment, but we should consider also the moral side of this question. The degrading and debasing influence of private corporations upon city government is now arousing the interest and attention of the better
 class of our citizenship. New York aldermen were convicted in the
 courts of accepting bribes of S2o,- GOO each and some of them were
 sent to the state penitentiary. The
 same thing happened in New Or leans. It was shown in the courts that all of the city council, from &the mayor on down, in the city of Northampton, Mass, were holders bf stock in the electric light com Lpany. The late Gov. Pengree of Michigan, while mayor of Detroit
 was offered $5o,ooo by one com pany and trip around the world by another, if he would refrain from vetoing certain franchises. E In 1890 it was judicially proved in 1 Cleveland that certain newspapers land influential citizens were re- Aceiving gas absolutely free. Prof, 8 Bemis tells of a corporation voting S$Ioo, GOO to buy the Chicago city council as calmly as it would vote \ to buy a new building, and says that according to reliable attor-
 ney, such a proceeding is an ordi- \ nary thing.
 8 Prof. Frank Parsons, lecturer in A tue DOStOu law SCuOoi, udkCo tuS \ Following statement: Some time 8ago, a professor in prominent & Pennsylvania university, was given to understand that if he would give *an opinion favorable to the lease Nor sale of the waterworks of his scity, his opinion would be worth
 fully $25, 5000, and he says that
 prices have risen since then.
 ( Our opponents may say that po- ssitions under municipal ownership
 Twill be distributed as political pie. But allow us to make mention of
 the fact that only a few men-at
 the very most a half dozen, will be
 employed to operate a water plant