The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-17
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
The Tremendous Blow Administered
 the Policy fn London.

The Tremendous Blow Administered to
 the Policy fn London.
 Washington, D. C., March 16-states- men and prominent men generally who are now here are saying that the overthrow of the Socialist Party in London by the election on March And means the greatest blow to the advo- cates of municipal ownership in this country that they have sustained since Philadelphia threw off the Evoke and leased it's lighting plants to 8 private corporation. In nearly every state where politicians were striving to ob tain municipal ownership of the puh- lie utilities for the extension of their political power and personal gain, they have been citing the success of the movement in England as their chief argument, and now London, which has had the most thorough experience in municipal ownership of any city in the world. has vigorously condemned 1t by the action of her voters.
 Municipal ownership has meant to her an increase in her indebtedness until it is now two thirds as large as that of the United Staees, a tax upon property owners which is little less than confiscation, a tax upon tennats which amounts to fifty per cent eff the annual rent in some boroughs and an average tax for a ann who pays $500 @ year rent of $1Sb.
 Any American city would have re- volted long ago if these same condit- ion obtained here for the tax rate is now about fifteen per cent on the pound sterling. Tn this country where there is one glaring example of the high tax rate due to municipal control of public utilities, the 5 per cent. upon the dol- lar prevailing in Hamilton. Ohio, the citizens are already vigorously pro- testing. In other cities, Philadelphia and Boston being notable instances, the citizens have already recorded their opposition to municipal ownership and the high tax rate invariably resulting, by abolishing it. while there are scores of cities and towns which having found their municipal gas and elec- trio lighting plants to be failures, have sold, leased or abandoned them.
 Leading men here who have studied the subject closely say that the ex- cuses of the politicians in towns of this country where municipal owner ship is a proven failure have been that the system was not thoroughly tested and that given such experience as Lon- don and other English cities have had in perfecting it, 1t would be found of benefit to the tax payers of this coun- try London has been held high by these men as a shining example and they have told of the many benefits which the working classes there have derived from municipal ownership
 Now, however, these arguments are all knocked in the head for it was the tax ridden working classes of London who in 8 large measure defeated mu- nicipaI ownership at the election on March 2. They have had it long enough to be educated to the bitter knowledge that while 1t apparently provided many things for their con- venience and their pleasure the ex- cessive cost had to be paid by increas- ing their taxes every year, and that despite these burdening increases the greatest city in the world was in dan ger this year of becoming bankrupt owng to the reckless waste and squan- dering of money by the politicians who, as Socialists, were eager to increase their power by reckless expenditure in any and all directions for the purpose of giving work to the idle and obtain ing the votes of the workers by so doing.
 It proved, as it has proved here in many instances, a boomerang. The workmen have at last realized that the taxes are eating so large a slice out of their wages that it Is senseless continuing to pay this commission for maintaining work.
 Facts regarding conditions in London are now being eagerly gathered by many of the Representatives and Sem ators here to take back to their home districts for use in fighting the mu- nicipal ownership movement cropping up here and there, upon basis of So- eialism, and suppressing it with an avalanche of facts which arc striking enough to convince any fair minded man that municial ownership in this country would be even more destruct- i've than In England