The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-04-24
By DEXTER MARSHALL,

the Party In Control-WouId Mean
the End of Democracy In America.
By DEXTER MARSHALL.
had a talk with a Vienna business
man the other day about municipal
ownership in Austria. 1t would be
obviously improper to use his name,
but he is man of weight and stand
ing, who knows what he Is talking
about. In the light of what he said
it is easy to see how municipal owner
ship of public utilities in the United
States might keep one political party
permanently in power and thus per-
petuate whatever system of graft
might spring up.
My friend would not talk about the
existence of graft in connection with
the operation of utilities there, but he
was emphatic in his statement con-
corning the hold it has given the party
in power.
Public ownership is well developed
in Austria, there being practically no
privately owned railroads or street car
lines in that country. Vienna owns
not only the street cars, the electric
light and gas works, but many other
things, including a great array of
butcher shops, the largest brewery and
the most impressive beer drinking place
in the city, besides some Of the most
desirable quarries in the vicinity.
orrin vuh ha
famous Ringstrasse was to be opened
in order that the government might
possess its own supply of stone for the
erection Of the public buildings now
ranged on either side Of the beautiful
thoroughfare. The purpose for which
the quarries were acquired was accom-
plished years ago, but they are still OPP
Grated by the city in competition with
private quarrymen.
l asked whether the various munic-
ipal and government enterprises in
Austria paid q profit for the reduction
of taxes or not
"They are supposed to do So" he re-
piled, "but no one save those In high
places will ever really know much
about it. Anyway, the system of public
ownership is certain to be extended
rather than checked in Austria.
"Why? Partly because it is largely
by the votes of the men employed on
the railroads, the street car lines and
all other public enterprises that the
government is able to maintain itself.
This Is so important q factor In the
situation that public utilities would
continue to be operated by the author
tiles even If the result were a money
loss.
'The suffrage is restricted in Aus
tria to such an extent that there are
only about 100000 qualified voters in
the country. They include the con-
ductors, trainmen, engine drivers, fire.
men, ETC., on the national railways;
also the station keepers and other en-
ployees at each station, the men en-
ployed on the tracks, In the shops, etc.
They also include the street car men
in Vienna and other municipalities, the
men employed in the Vienna slaughter
houses, in the meat shops, in the great
municipal brewery, and so on, besides
the thousands employed In the legiti-
mate governmental bureaus.
"Now, there may be public utility
employees here and there who have
enough personal independence to vote
as they choose regardless of their en-
but they are few and far be-
tween. When found out their useful
ness in the public service is no longer
and they lose their jobs
promptly. The result is that the gov
eminent can always count practically
upon solid block Of 100000 voters, or
about one in four of the entire elector-
ate, at the popular elections.
"As a matter of fact, the government |
has almost as strong hold upon many
other thousands of workingmen voters
as it has upon those who are directly |
in its employ, some say 100000 Mt
least. A portion of them work In the |
shops, the rolling mills, the |
car shops and other establishments |
which furnish the rolling stock, the !
rails and the supplies to the govern
ment and municipal railroads.
"As there are practically no possible |
customers for rails or cars. for loco |
either steam or electric. or, In |
fact, for any sort of railway supplies, |
except the national and municipal gov
ernments, the managers of the estab. |
lishments furnishing such things must |
stand well with the authorities or be |
wiped out, and the same is true. though |
In less degree, of the makers of dy- |
namos and motors and many other |
things.
"The best way for these manufac- |
turers, who, next to tle government it I
self. are the most extensive employers |
Of labor in Austria, to stand well With |
the government Is to sec to it that |
their workmen vote right and this
they certainly do.
THE thousands of men they can con. i
troll, added to the 100000 in the various
forms of direct government employ
ment, make up q total OF a million |
voters, or one-third of the whole
Their solidarity practically insures in
definite control of the government by |
The party with which they vote. There |
can certainly be little chance in Aus |
trla for q change in governmental con-
litionS so long as there is no change |