Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-12-09
WHY THE PEOPLE VOTED WISELY.


The proposed commission form of government was
beaten in Salem because it deserved to be. The voters
were intelligent enough to that the benfits which
might from some Of its provisions would more than
likely be offset by others which were vicious In the eX
treme One of the latter was the following section
quirng wothrds vote to authorize the commission to
purchase construct any public utility within the city,
&C. To contract for public utility service FOR the supply and use Of the
@ o 5 @ % u a er @ a a'os without c0' e @ % % the
e IG r %Sr ] @ ] cn3iS b nons1St % Eu @ p % o @ aG % % be
legal voters who may vote any general special election upon the HH
utility under the and procedure the initiative and referendum
public utility enterprise either FOR initial purchase construction
voting at either a general or sre 'a election
This section must have been inserted in the proposed
charter with the deliberate purpose of blocking any at
tempt by the people in the future of acquiring their own
water light and power or gas plants Always than
onehird of the voting strength Of community may be
depended upon to rally to the support of private copor
anon matter how oppressive its acts may become to
those who are dependent upon its service.
We do not accuse the members OF the charter commit
tee with deliberate attempt to deceive the people, be-
cause we know there were men and women upon it who
stand always for good citizenship but nevertheless Soe
body slipped something on them when they inserted
this section Who its author do not know but we
do know that its adoption on Monday would have worked
irreparabe injury to the community in the future by
barring the people from any movement designed to
emancpate the city from the monopoly which is always
conferred with every franchise granted to private
corporation engaged in public utility service.
Salem ought some time in the future to own its water
light and power plants and steps in that direction ought
to be taken at The Capital Journal does not now
and never will advocate the confscatOn of capital invest
ed in private utilities and will always favor purchase il
the price and terms asked are fair and reasonable If not
it believes in going ahead with construction and the pr
vate corporation must take its chances for business in
competition with the municipal plant
Water lights, power and gas, as furnished by private
corporations to corporate cities, necessities of modern
life (they are no longer uXuries) and no individual or
privately owned corporation should have the right to set
the price with view to excessive profit dictate the
quality of service of such necessities That has become
recognized principle Of government to theeXtentthatmos
states have sought to place such corporations under the
control of public utility commission This safeguard OF
the individual right has proven quite frequently of doubt
fu value because of the subsevency of such commissions
to the power of corporate Influence The only real rem.
edy is public ownership.
The city of Eugene, in our own state has made won.
derfu success of public utilities Its water light ana
power plants owned by the people and the latter has
in the face Of strong corporation opposition reduced the
lighting rate from 10 cents to cents per Owatt in the
course of two years of operation 1t is taking care of the
interest construction bonds, providing for payment
of these bonds through sinking fund.- and each quarter
the books show handsome surplus and above ope
ating expenses further reduction of the rate is in
prospect
San Francisco Seattle Tacoma and Pasadena are 9TH
coast cities which have successfully tried out the prn
cple of municipal ownership Of public utilities Other
cities starting the movement in that direction since
in municipalities of the class of Los Angeles and Portland
Che bills of the private corporation for street lighting
alone have become burden under which the taxpayers
can scarcely stagger
A decade since and few cities owned their own water