The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-03-01

| swallow otherwise.
If the Semmes charter is intended
to make the city government more rel
| sponsive to the peoples will, 1t is
| strange that some Of the chief advo-
Gates Of 1t are so enthusiastic in their.
| support of It. Never before has the
/ so-calle5 corporation element proposed
| or advocated any proposal to bring
| the government nearer the masses and
to make it more responsive to their
| will
| II the Semmes charter will give the
citizens a better opportunity to ex-
| press themselves upon public ques-'
| tons so as to secure what they want,
1t is remarkable that the chairman of
| the committee, whose name is at
| tached to this proposed charter. should,
/ have proposed 1t. Was he not fore-s
most among the members of the city
| council, but few weeks since, in re-
! fusing to give the citizens the right
/ to pass and decide for themselves
! whether they wanted a municipality
| owned and operated electric lighting
plant Why such solicitude for popu-
| lar government now and such siren
| uous opposition to 1t then? Was il
| because it might affect the income
| of the Stone & Webster corporation?
| A municipality owned and operated
| electric lighting plant in. Pensa cola.
| said Mayor Reilly to the city council
| a few weeks since, would save the
| taxpayers thousands OF dollars. It
has saved to the Taxpayers of our
sister city of Jacksonville thousands
! of dollars. Yet the chairman of the
committee, which gave birth to the
Senmes charter, said to be intended to
| reduce the peoples taxes, positively re-
fused to give the taxpayers of Pen
sacola the right to reduce their taxes.
Mr.. Semmes, as member of city
| council, was asked to give the citizens
! upon and determine for themselves
whether they wished a municipality
| owned and operated electric lighting
plant. After Manager Warren, of the
Stone & Webster corporation, had adj
dressed the city council in opposition
to the proposal, Mr.. Semmes voted
not to let the citizens vote upon the
question.
It is remarkable that any of the
the taxpayers vote upon this ques-
ton, should now be talking about
making the city government more re-
sponsive to the popular~win.
Strange too, it is to me, that the
evening and morning papers, so loud
now in their advocacy of the Semmes
charter, giving as their reason that
it's adoption will secure popular
government, were as dumb as oysters
when the city council, including Mr.. |
Semmes, refused to give the citizens |
OF Pensacola the opportunity of ex-
pressing themselves upon the munich |
pally owned and operated electric |
lighting plant proposal.
The public have not forgotten, sure |
~, that when Mr.. T. A Jennings |
killed our bill to give Pensa cola the |
right to regulate the public service |
corporations in the interest of justice |
and fairness to the consuming public |
because the attorney for the public
service. corporations had told him to
do it, he proposed to PASS the same |
provisions through the legislature if |
Incorporated in a commission form Of
government charter, such as the /
Semmes charter Why was he unwill-
ing to give that power to the city of |
Pensa cola, under the aldermanic form |
of government, but was willing and |
anxious to give that power to the same
city under a commission form of
government? 1t was for the same
reason that now moves the public SER
vice corpora ton allies to support the
Semmes charter. Because it is easier
to elect two commissioners, being a
majority of three, AMI to control them,
once they are elected, than it is to
control or to elect twelve councilmen
and the other elective officers under
the present charter.
The public service corporations want
the Semmes charter. There is no
doubt about 1t. Many Of the persons
active in it's advocacy are unmistak-
able weathereocks.
If there exists the slightest doubt in
the mind of anyone concerning the
statements I have made, did not the
action of the Semmes committee In
refusing to incorporate in the Semmes
charter the proposal to give the city
of Pensacola plenary power to regu-
late the public service corporations,
which had been approved and adopted
by the citizens In mass meeting in
the city hall, and which is now con-
tanned in the Jones charter, and which
is separately submitted to the voters.
convince you that I speak the gospel
truth when I say that the Semmes
charter Is the child of the corporate
interests of Pensacola.
This provision had been adopted by
the cittaens in mass meeting in the
city hall, just as other provisions of
the Semrnes charter had been adopted,
but the Semmes Committee met the
morning following and refused to in
corporate in their proposed charter.
And they tell US that the Semmes
charter is the peoples charter ap-
proved and adopted by the citizens in
mass meeting. II
To pile evidence upon evidence that
the Semmes charter Is the charter Of
the public service corporations and
not the ure-all of the Ills of govern
ment, as it's advocates say 1t is. II
might in conclusion. cal attention to
the fact that the Semmes charter was
submitted for the consideration and
opinion of the attorneys for the public
service corporations.
The attorneys for the public service
said the Semmes charter
was alright. I suppose it is for the
public service corporations 1t GER
tainiy is not for the public. II
JOHN 2. STOKES