Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-03-30
Will CORPORATIONS
OR PEOPLE CONTROL
Warm Election on in Des
Moines to Determine Com
mission Plan Officers
INTERESTS" SEEK TO GOVERN
Almost Certain to be One OF
missioners-Effort to Be Made
to Clean Out County Ring-Possi-
Bile That "Recall" Will Be Put Into
Action If objectionables Are Chosen.
Special to Times-Republlcan.

| Special to Times Republican.
Des Mones. March 30.-Des Moines
today is in the throes of the first city
! election under the commission plan Oh
! government and the only issue up is
whether the Des Moines street railway,
with it's allies, the gas company, cleo
trio light company and water works
company. will continue to run the city
or whether it will be turned over to
the people
To those who are close enough TO see
behind the scenes this issue Is mucn
| more clearly defined than can be APP
precated in the state elsewhere for
| MANY wears the official life of Des
Moines has been dominated by the
public service corporations. Graft mas
ruled Des Mones.
| For a great many years public serv-
| ice corporations have paid very llttle
! taxes to the city of DeS MoineS Every
wear the assessor who by some chance
has been a good honest man, has as
sessed the corporations at what they
are worth Every year the city council
as a board of review has cut the as
sessment to half or less than half. BY
the terms of the ordinance under which
the CITY railway is working 1t should
nav a per cent of it's earnings to the
city. 1t has never paid cent Its
renorts to the city would make it ap-
pear that the company was earning
| 4
western bond holders were dug up and
shown to represent earnings OF Dig pro-
| portions and on which 1T would owe
fthe city many thousands OF dollars.
| Last year after the assessor had sue
ceeded in digging up material that
made it practically Impossible FOR the
public service corporations TO escape
they finally consented to doubling the1r
4 assessment. After they had given
their consent the city council did not
cut it in half, very kindly permitting
| 1T to remain at the assessors HBures.
When the question arose as to the
| legality of the street railway IRAN
chise, the city council obedlent 10 the
company did everything possible win
the assistance of the companys attor-
new to assist the company as against
the people.
AS to the other public service corpor-
ations the council has ever been as
obedient and a few years ago voted
$50 900 out of the city treasury to the
company, tho the payment of the mon
ey was prevented.
| Some time tonight after the votes
are counted, il will be known whether
the corporations or the people VIII
govern the city-whether the corpora
tions will govern the city or the city
govern the corporations. Tho every
| possible effort is being made to defeat
ex- Mayor John MacVicar for COM
missioner it is believed that he Will
he elected. Even the the Allison
candidacy has been dragged in for that
nurpose and the friends of Allison VINO
might vote for MacVicar We're tod
Saturday that the election OF Mac
Vicar i'm Des Moines meant 1900 more
votes for Cummins. MacVicar is one
| of the men most hated by the corpora
tions.
There is a strong probability that
| Charles w. Schramm will be elected
as one commissioner. Schramm was
assessor and is the man who forced
the corporations to consent to doubling
| their assessments He is beng blttef-
ly fought. Another man who stands a
good chance of being elected is Alder
man Hamery. Hamery is the man VINO
laid a trap for George B. Hippee. the
general manager of the street car COM
many and with eye witnesses in hiding
had Hippee pay him something like
$3.50 if he would vote for new fran
| chIse for the street car company.
| If the friends of good government
succeed in their efforts to get these
three men on the first commission as
result of todays election they will
have a majority of the commission and
the interests of the people will be at
| least in very much better hands than
they have been in the past.
| With the cleaning up of the city hail.
however, the work of making Des
Moines a well governed city will be but
half accomplished. With the use OF
the "recall" if one of the commits
sion goes to flirting with the public
service corporations he can be recalled
and one of the first things the friends
of good government propose to do is
to organize a Recall Club"
While nothing has been said OF 1t
publicly in Des Moines. plans are un-
der way to begin a campaign on the
county affairs next The primaries at
which county officials will be NOM
mated is two months away. Little has
been done in county politics thus far
but it is known that many who have
lost their hold on some city office now
plan to make a raid on the county Of
fees Friends of good government
propose to get there ahead of them 1t
is proposed to bring out competent and
able men for the various county offices
and a campaign along the same lines
AS that conducted In the city affairs is
likely to be carried on. There is an
opportunity for some bright attorney
in the county attorneys office in Polk