The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-05-01
THE GREAT QUESTION,
Are Our Municipalities to Become
Business Corporations?

Squarely Before the American People.
He Shows the Dangers Which Are
Often Overlooked by Superficial
Thinkers.
No one can give even a cursory
| glance at the history of municipal gov
| eminent in the United States for the
past thirty-five years without noticing
| two conditions:
First.-The municipalities have been
very inefficient in the performance Of
governmental duties.
| Second.-They have steadily eXercis-
| ed more and more the business powers
| originally possessed by individuals or
private corporations. They are rapidly
becoming great business corporations
The inefficiency and corruption Of
municipal governments have been so
thoroughly exposed and discussed be-
| fore the people for the past few years
| that nothing need be said in way Of
proof of the condition. In fact, it may
| be true that we have become so con-
versant with this condition that it fails
| to excite surprise or to demand atten-
| ton and has come to be regarded as
| normal or at least unavoidable.
How Does It Affect the People?
But what of this second tendency?
How is it affecting our people? To
what end is it leading? is the first
| condition q natural and necessary re-
suit of the second?
| Iitiac hnua nOIu cI1oh Dnwprs
as are expressly or implicitly granted
| by the state through its legislature, as
| is shown by the following quotation
| from Cooley's constitutional Limita-
| tions:'
1.-THE creation of municipal corpora
| lions and the comforting upon them Of
certain powers and subjecting them to
corresponding duties do not deprive
| the legislature of the state of that
general control over their citizens
which was before possessed. 1t still
| has authority to amend their charters
enlarge or diminish their powers, eX-
| tend or limit their boundaries, CONSOLE
date two or more into one,. override
their legislative action whenever it is
deemed unwise, impolitic or unjust
and even abolish them altogether in
the legislative discretion. The rights
and franchises of such a corporation
being granted for the purpose of the
government, can never become such
vested rights as against the state that
they cannot be taken away, nor does
| the charter constitute q contract in the
sense of the constitutional provision
which prohibits the obligation of con-
tracts being violated"
Increased Business Activities.
Notwithstanding this is the law,
these corporations have steadily and
rapidly increased their activities in
the direction of conducting many and
diverse businesses, and we hear loud
dem nds for freer local self govern
me-. TO engage in all kinds of business
viii may at any time seem desirable
to majority of their inhabitants.
W ,hout seemingly being aware Of it,
We re drifting toward municipal own
e"sh'p. control and operation of many
line" Of production. and the next step
is state socialism. This tendency is
the antithcsis of individualism. which
is ard has been the very foundation Of
Anglo Saxon progress.
individual initiative, responsibility
and accomplishment have been the dis
tinguishing MARKS of the American and
of his English ancestors.
The liberty Of the individual is just
us certainly invaded by the entry of
government into competition with him
in business as 1t is by any other op-
pressive and unnecessary interference
with him by the government.
The Anglo Saxon Ideal.
The distinction between the Anglo
Saxon ideal and the Latin ideal is very
apparent to one who goes from this
country to Europe. In France one is
constantly shown great buildings,
great undertakings carried to success
| full completion, great churches, great
opera houses, all the result Of the gov
ernment's activity. Everything done
beyond the simplest business of life Is
| tinctured by governmental assistance.
The whole tendency is communistic.
On the other hand, when one crosses
| the narrow channel that separates
England from the continent he is i'm
pressed with the fact that the indi-
vidual counts for much more.
1t is individualism, personal effort,
| the liberty to do, to accomplish and to
reap reward-the prize that is held out
| before the individual to be attained by
| his own effort--that has made Eng
lands people great
The American Ideal.
And coming from England to Ameri-
ca one finds this principle still more
| freely in operation. for here all arti-
fetal class distinctions are wiped out,
| and each man stands for himself with
| equal opportunity and with unrestrain-
| cd liberty to put forth mis- own effort
in his own way and to reap the reward
| thereof so long as he does not violate
| the law.
| This distinction was very clearly per-
ceived by that careful observer and
| masterful mind, Carl Schurz. The
| same impression was made upon his
mind on coming to America that is
! made upon the minds of Americans
who go to Europe. Very soon after
| coming TO this land he wrote I'm q let