The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1909-02-26
by DEXTER MARSHALL.


BY DEXTER r1ARsHALL.
| had talk with n Vienna business
man the other day about municipal
ownership In Austria. II would be-
obviously improper to use his name
but he H. II man of weight and stand
Ing. who knows what he Is talking
about. In the light of what he said
II 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.
pctuatc whatever system of graft
might spring up.
My frienl would not tall, about the
existence of graft In connection with
the operation of utilities there, but ne
WAS emphatic In his statement con
corning he hold II has given the party
In power
Public ownership IL well developed
In Austria, there being practically no
privately owned railroads or street car
lines In that country Vienna owns
Nv 'Als WV 'NlN. lilt tlttlTlN'
light aud gas works. but many other
things, including great array of
butcher shops. the largest brewery anl
the most Impressive beer drinking pi q
In the city. besides some of the most
desirable qunrrics In the vicinity
These quarrics were acquired when the
famous Ringstrasse was to be openel /
n gap hnt lao. II.
possess Its own supply of stone for the
erection Of the public buildings now
ranged on either side Of the beautiful
thOronghfare The purpose for which
the quarries were acquired was accom-
plIshcd years ago. but they ure.still op-
Grated 10y the city In competition with
private qunrrymen.
! asked whether the various munlc.
ipnl and government enterprises In
Austria paid 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 bc extended
lullltI tlllu tlf'fhtNl III AllSlIln.
why? Partly because II Is largely
hy the votes of the men employed on
the railroads, the street car lines and
all other public enterprises that the
government h able to maintain itself
This Is so important II factor In the
situation that public utilities would
continue to be operated by the author
tf a
loss.
The suffrage Is restricted In Aus
tria To such I'M cNtcnt that there are
only about 3,0O0.OOo qualified voters In
the country They include the con
duciors, tralumcn. engine drivers. lire-
men, ctc.. un the national railways:
also the station keepers and other en-
ployccS a, each station. the men EN-.
ploycl on the tracks. In the shops, etc.
They also include the street car men
In Vienna AMI other municipalities. the
men employed In the Vienna slaughter.
houses. In the meat shops, In the great
municipal brewery. aud so on, besides
the thousands employed in the Iegti
mate governmental bureaus
Nov, there may he public utility
employees here ani there who have
enough personal Independence To vote
a. they choose regardless ~ their rm,
ploymcn;. hut they are few and tar he
tween when found ont their useful
ness IA the public service Is no longer
apparent ana they lose their jobs
promptly The result Is that the gov.
crmnrnt can always count practically
upon sold block of 100000 voters, or
abuut one IN four of the entire elector.