The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-25

to Such OWnerSnip py tneS c1ty, unt1
 it is shown that the city can conduc its various departments upon a busi ness basis"
 Hereewe. have the motive that i'm pels the playwright.
 \ Mr Warner is a manager of public
 service corporations He takes profit: from the sale of gas, water ana
 transportation to the people of thi.
 city
 He is confronted with a strong movement for municipal ownership
 He is afraid that public sentiment
 will commit the Republican party to
 that movement. as it has already committed the Democratic party.
 His remedy is simple. He seizes the Republican organization. by
 means sufficiently we'll understood He seeks to deny the people the ad- ivantase of municipal ownership NoI gas. water. electric light and trans poftation
 The people want eighty cent gas
 but eighty cent gas is not good fo1 MT. Warmers pocket. The people want cheaper eiectri- city, ,wbut that means cheaper gas.
 The people want filtered water and no typhoid. But it costs money to filter water, and people who die of typhoid pay their own doctor bills oSri tnost f,,rnra1 r.xSna,. of their estates.
 I The people want six trolley tickets for quarter. But that means re- daeed profits to transportation mono pelies. l surely the motive is plain and the prize is great. Yet one can scarcely | blame the managers of monopoly for desiring to increase their profits, in this age of selfishness and individual ism, when it is "every man for him. self"
 I Mr. Warmer is not an aitruist. Neither should the people of Bridge port be. If it is to his interest and ! the interest of gas, water, electric light and railroads to control the government of Bridgeport, direct its efforts and have access to it's purse. I it fs plainly not to the interest of the people that he should have it. Peekihg through the policies" and l the pale, thin speech of MT. Wilson, which is the policies reflected in paliid moonshine, is the continued purpose to put the city further into debt, and to increase it's bonded in- debtedness; another favorite method of staying off municipal ownership l of public utilities.
 We are told that we must have conservative bonding for permanent Improvements. This in the ''poiicies." i" And the purpose is reiterated in the speech of Mfr. wilson, who promises a 1s mill tax rate. provided all per- masaent Improvements are obtained by niortgasing the city. 1t is evident that MT. Warner's S spolicies" are as robust as his candi- dates are thin.
 The first s'policy'' is to get control Of the Republican party to protect private monopoly from public own ership. This policy is temporarily accomplished.
 The second policy, cannot be car fled out, without possession Of the city, its treasury and it's power. It calls for systematic bonding. for continued mortgagihg of the property Of the city and its inhabitants, with all the increased expense that this entails.
 The bigger the mortgage, the deep | CT the debt, the longer it will be be- Efore the people furnish themselves with, water, gas and electric light. In these few paragraphs stand re- vealed Mir. Warmers "policies' in. terpreted so that the simplest can understand them.
 In sheer and reckless impudence, however, they are as a candle to an arc lamp before Mir. Warmers policy TOT the oIfleeS or clty engineer ana director of public works. MT. Warner wants to consolidate these offices. He wants to put them into the possession of one man. He wants to go out of town to hire that man.
 Body boots and brooches, gas, wn- ter and electric light itch to control the office of the city engineer, and the, streets of Bridgeport. What is the matter with the streets of Bridgeport? Water, gas, electric light and railroads are the matter.
 Water, gas, electric light and rail roads have come face to face with af1 administration which has sought