The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-11-27
LAFOllETTE MAKES
CORPORATIONS PLAY
FAIR WITH PEOPLE
Wisconsin Mans System in Re-
turn Protects Honest In
vestment of Capital.
QUICK REVIEWS WORK.
Last Article Deals With Con-
structive Craftsmanship Dur
ing His Public Career.
BY HERBERT QUICK,
Editor of Farm and Fireside.

GottOF OI TdFU anu FTCSIQc.
We have learned how LaFollette by
his long. bitter and finally successful
struggle for more equality in taxa
tion, the Punishment OF the lobby, the
abolition OF the railway pass, cor
rupt practices act, civil service law
and a wide-open direct primary, re-
deemed Wisconsin from corrupt con-
troll and restored it's government to
the people. Those laws have since
been perfected by a fine commission
; government law for cities, and by the
initiative, referendum and recall In
state and local matters-which will
certainly carry when the people vote
on the amendments.
But the reform that is, perhaps,
most interesting, is the splendid work
OF the rate commission which regu-
lates both rates and service of rail
ways, lighting companies, power
plants. telegraphs and telephones.
! suppose that IL the street cars
nre cold in your city, all YOU can do
is TO cuss the company and die OF
pneumonia.
In Wisconsin you would write an
ordinary letter, or you would tele-
phone to the rate commission and the
street railway company would hear
ducks" by wire. | saw IL work once
in Madison. Frigid weather came on
suddenly. and the cars We're awfully
cold. The rate commission said TO
the company: Don't you send out
another car without stove in II, and
a fire in the stove," And the COM
pany obeyed implicitly.
One traction company decided that
II couldn't carry baby cabs any more
they bothered. But the rate COM
mission suggested that baby carriages
really ought TO come under the head
of luggage-and the order was modi-
fed
In Wisconsin. n you think your gas
meter or water meter is wrong, you
may ask that the meter be examined,
and ii will be-by an expert appointed
under civil service at the capital of
the state If the meter is wrong il
has TO be fxed--as they sometimes
are--you pay the charge, which is
very small.
II you are a shipper on railway
In most states you are afraid TO
peep" against any imposition. The
company will "get you" if you fight.
But Wisconsin shippers are as bold
toward railways as toward any other
business concern.
Any citizens complaint is received
and considered in Wisconsin. II the
complaint has merit, the company Is
invited TO remedy it--and In 90 cases
out OF every 100 Ii does so gladly. II
IL refuses, proceedings are necessary.
The rate commission has a complaint
drawn--it doesn't ask the citizen TO
hire a lawyer-and files the complaint
after the complainant signs it. When
the hearing comes on, the citizen has
his railway fare and hotel bill paid at
Madison TO testify. You see, in Wis
consin, the man who tries to make
the service better by complaining is
not looked upon as a nuisance, but as
one discharging a public duty.
This rate commission has experts
going about the state inspecting the
services Of public utilities all the time.
They make photometric measurements
of the light. They auaiyZe the water.
They measure the output OF the pow
er plants and the heat units OF the
heating systems. They find out how
long the average wait" is before you
get your party on the 'phone-and
when anything is wrong they make
the companies fix IL. They don't wait
for complaints-bless you, no,
And they regulate rates. They have
made a physical valuation Of all the
railways and most of the other public
utility plants. When company saws
TO the commission that il can't live at
n rate ordered, the commission says
in fatherly way: "Oh, yes you can!
Just you run your business as efil
cientfy as they do in Oconomowoc or
Lacrosse, and Won can make money
at that rate We've looked into that
or we never'd have made the order.
Run along, now and study your busi
ness. and give the people the rates
we've ordered
And the company runs along and
does it. You see. the commission has
access TO the accounts of hundreds
and hundreds Of public utility com
panies and knows more about what
that service ought 10 cost than any
manager is apt 10 know
There is no discrimination in rates
I'm Wisconsin. The alderman and the
tContInued On PAGE six.D