The Brinkley argus., 1907-11-01
MUMc|PALunACy. Dy JOHN KENDRicK BAi,cs.

Judging from the reports tliat reach us from various parts of the country as to the condition of civic lighting com. panies and wilted water plants. ve shall soon be relieved of the stigma placed upon us by the British visitor to this country who declared that we had m Impressive ruins to attract ths traveler. Would It not be good plan for some munincent millionairs to buv up 2 few of these, transfer ti,cm to the banks of the Hudson and t,us mt that beautiful waterway into the run. ning In the matter of legendary inter- est with the Rhinel "A few moss and Ivy covered fuins of this Kind woujd add much to the scenic beauty of the picturesque river and doubtless inspire our llterati with ghastly legendary lore that will make those old stories of the Rhine look like mark and 1balf. Here indeed is chance for Mr. An drew Carnegie to do something to beau. tify his adopted native land and to fiI' the shelves Of his many libraries as well with good reading at ono fell swoop.
 The increase of the public debt of Birmingham, England, from $4,OOO, 900 in the curly seventies of the last cen tury to $75.O00.0OO, according to the last available figures. shows how com plctely municipal ownership wipes out debt of that kind. Alongside of $75,- 100000. paltry sum of $4.000, GOO is not only wiped out but actually an- initiated.
 The police of Chicago were assessed in the last elections to pay the ex- penses of the municipal ownership campaign. This Is another point in favor of comprehensive systen, of public ownership. After awhile, with the motormcn. conductors, watermen, gasman. ditch dlggers. linemen. cleo tricians. and so on, to assess for sim ilnr purposes. the public will doubt less enjoy free elections. One might almost hope that such a fund as this would WAX 50 great that nfter elections are over there would he balance left to declare municipal dividend with. The byproducts of the municipal own ership idcn grow daily more and more interesting. not to say allurinC.
 . .
 It is nonsense to gay that municipal ownership breeds socialism On tho coatrz Roonle back to indiv I'll G ll3
 9 w6lk v
 ee where tne 1S IH IsIx
 es of least official resistance. And 12Ealley City. N. D.. the, quality of tho service of the public gas plant has driven number of business men to install gasoline lighting systems of their own on their premises.
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 Muncle, Ind. has abandoned her lighting plant, but consoles hcrself with the thought that her bonds re- main. As the poet cnid. or would have said if he had thought of 1t:
 Old ties arc hard to sevcr.
 Other ties endure forever.
 e 6
 The city fathers of Brunswick, Mo, have just done good stroke of busI- ness in selling its lighting plant for 9 cents on the dollar. taking pay In light and water. It is fcrtuunte 1t wasn't q municipal bakery. t would be hard to pay for that by sending large drafts of rhubarb pie nnd cream cakes to the city treasury. to sny noth- ing of the risk Brunswick would incur of n sudden attack of civic indigestion running into chronic appendicitis from ovcrindulgcncc in dcughnuts. Opera lions upon the body polite are danger or,s things, since the patient Is apt to experience i'll effects from taking gus.