The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-09
Story Of Corporation Aggran-
dizement and Mismanage-
ment of City Affairs Told
Palladium Representative.
FAULT DUE TO OLD
FORM OF Government
Proves That Any City May Fol-
low Des Moines and Obtain
Freedom From Corpora
tions-That Asphalt Trust.
(By Carl Bernhardt.)
ARTICLE 3.


ARTICLE 8.
have already given some idea Of
the graft and incompetency in the
management of the affairs of the Iowa
capital. They were merely those Of
every city in the land today under the
old plan of government. And the
idea that l wished to create, is not that
conditions were SO overwhelmingly
bad that Des Moines was forced from
that very fact to go over to the Des
Moines Plan.
No, Des Moines could have gone on
and on. year in, year out, in the hands
OF ward politicians, contractors and
public service corporations, without a
consciousness that things could be bet
tered without cry of turn the ras-
Gals out--"good citizens to arms
And that this is true, ask you to look
at all the cities in the country, that are
still prospering under, but In spite of a
hopelessly bad form of government.
Think Of the city you know best and
listen to the story Of Des Moines be-
fore the plan. The conditions are
practically the same everywhere.
Public Service Corporations.
Again let me repeat, that Des Moines
before the introduction OF the Des
Moines Plan, was typical American
city in respect to the relation Of the
public service corporations to the man
agement Of the city's business. In
the matter Of franchises no American
who is above the years of puppydom,
needs to be told that public service cor
porations get all they can when they
get their franchises. If they can't get
them one way-they will another. And
here it is also we'll to interject, that
the public service corporations under
the old style of government, are as Oft
en- held up for blackmail as they them
selves deliberately attempt and accom-
plish corruption. In this again, Des
Moines had the same conditions and
problems that face the citizens of ev-
cry American town.
There they had either connivance on
the part of the public officials and the
corporations, or the open warfare OF
blackmail. On the one hand, If the
officials agreed. it meant a trading OF
the city's interests to the company for
money. On the other hand, it meant
business at standstill. no improve
ment in service and the unanswered
appeals of the citizens for the needs OF
a growing town. either because the
corporations would not be held up-or
because they could not agree with the
ward heelers on the price.
Isn't this an average American con-
dition? Which do you prefer under
the old system? 1t makes no differ
ence. YOU say? That Is the way the
Des Moines people felt. 1t was ut
ter Indifference and disgust. 1t is diff
ferent now.
Just an instance.
In a town Of a hundred thousand
people, covering fifty-four square
miles, with laborers relying ON the
street car service to take them to. and
from, their work--(to say nothing OF
ordinary traffic)-there has been
suuabble over the street railways for
years. Moreover, one Of the members
Of the present council under the new
Des Moines Plan, owes his place to
the fact that he asserted and had good
proof that he refused bribe under the
old regime from the manager Of the
street car company.
The manager of the street car COM
many has been indicted for bribery
time and again. 1t is asserted in Des
Moines that he escaped by fixing the
grand jury In the meantime, the
system has been depreciating at a rap
i'd rate. The service Is shamefully In
adequate. This is due to the fact
that the company cannot borrow mon
ey. because it can not prove that it has
franchise. The citizens say that
the only reason the company did
straighten out the franchise trouble
was because it wouldn't cough up"
Be that as 1t may. the situation Is
typical of Des Moines under the old
plan: 1t is typical OF the old plan in
every city in the United States.
But you should not feel too sorry for
the public service corporations. They
looked after their interests. never
fear, and il they were forced to bribe
the city officials-they got their money
back from the people for those same
hrfbes-and often enough the citizens
naid for the expenses OF having their
own franchise rights taken away from
them.
Downtrodden Corporation.
Under the old plan OF city govern
ment the Des Moines council acted as a
board OF review for the readjustment
of the valuations Of the city assessor
(Continued On Page nve.)