Bridgeton pioneer., 1908-04-09
TIE GREAT QUESTION
Are Our Municipalities to Become
Business Corporations2


Of Michigan Puts This Problem
squareIy Before the American People.
He Shows the Dangers Which Are
Often Overlooked by Superficial
Thinkers.
No one can give even cursory
glance at the history of municipal gov
ernment 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 1t fails
to excite surprise or to demand atten.
ton and has come to be regarded as
normal or at least unavoidable.
How Does 1t 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 a natural and necessary re-
suit of the second?
Municipalities have only such powers
as are expressly or impliedly granted
by the state through its legislature, as
is shown by the following quotation
from Cooley's Constitutional Limita-
tions::''
'"The creation of municipal corpora
lions and the comforting them Of
certain powers and subiecitng them to
corresponding duties =, 4eprive
the legislature of the stase 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, consoli-
date two or more into one, overrule
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
oh RIO tr1to af
sense of the constitutional provision
which prohibits the obligation of con-
tracts being violated"
increased Business Activities.
q. 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
demands for freer local self govern
ment to engage in all kinds of business
which may at any time seem desirable
to majority of their inhabitants.
Without seemingly being aware of 1t,
we are drifting toward municipal own
ership, control and operation Of many
lines of production, and the next step
is state socialism. This tendency Is
the antithesis of individualism, which
Is and has been the very foundation of
Anglo Saxon progress.
Individual initiative, responsibility
and accomplishment have been the dis
tfnguishing marks of the American and
OF his English ancestors.
The liberty of the Individual is just
as certainly invaded by the entry of
government into competition with him
In business as it is by any other op-
pressive and unnecessary interference
with him by the government.
- The Anslo-Sa 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-
ed liberty to put forth his own effort
In his own way and to reap the reward
thereof so long as he does not violate
the law r.