The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-08-07

ANAA44 SS~~ A0SW~A %E AA &H AA~ L
Antler American shows just where
those editors stand and what they
think Of the people: when q bunchl
Of grafters put across legalized rob
bery-and we defy anyone to call bill
1877 anything else" SO there you
have it, gentle reader, the flag waving
he-gossip Of Antler is Of the opinion
according to his paper-that the ma
jority Of the voters Of this county as
well as the state are "a bunch Of
grafters" for the people of this coun-
ty. and state are the ones who put
across bill 157.
Public ownership of public utilities
is the cry and need Of the day. Pub
lie ownership will reduce the high
cost Of living and is q grand success
wherever efficiently handled. Other
countries and hundreds Of cities have
solved their public utility problems
through public ownership. Seventy
nations own all or a considerable por-
ton Of their railways. Cities every
where, even here in the United States
are working out the problems Of their
public utilities through public owner
ship. Here in the United States 3,045
cities WI and operate water systems,
1862 own and operate light and pow
er plants, and three own and operate
street railways. San Francisco made
a success of its municipal street car
lines. P~asadena's municipal electric
plants and Milwaukee's waterworks
are revelations Of what municipal ow-
nership can accomplish. Scores Of
cities r blazing the way and demon
strating by actual experience that
public ownership solves the problem.
Nationally we have u public school
system representing an investment Of
$500 ,OOO,AD and an annual expen-
diture Of $500,00O,O0O; we have our
postal system which according to
news dispatches cleared $17,00O,O00
last year, with it's saving banks and
parcel post; the government built the
Panama canal, representing an invest
Ment of l$4OO,O00,OO0 and is conduct
ing many reclamation projects in
yolving $129, 951 1897, to say nothing
Of public roads, bridges, parks and
other forms of public ownership. Pub
lie ownership is not uniformly success
full o. satisfactory. Public ownership
in and of itself is not the complete So
luton. We must have efficient man
agement and democratic control.
There are many failures Of municipal
ownership because Of inefficient man
agement. There are corrupt legisla-
lures and city councils to contend with
State laws restrict and constitutional
provisions and court decisions tie the
hands Of the people and there are the
private corporations whose interests
are at stake and why by every posi-
BILE mean oppose public ownership.
They have been known to help Grip
pied plants and naturall yseek always
to discredit public ownership. The
private corporations that operate pub
lie utilities in this country are thor
ough1y and very effectively organized.
They I able to bring to bear their
united strength upon any community
where the public ownership Of any
public utility is an issue. They have
an elaborate. press service the kept
press" popular and technical publ
cations, experts in public utilities,
speakers and writer's and q mint Of
money, all Of which they call into ac-
tion against public ownership when
ever the occasion arises. This latter
fact. has been demonstrated time and
again here in North Dakota in recent
years. To meet this situation and to
successfully grapple with that sort Of
combination the public ownership fore
ed must be organized. The public re-
Allies this fact and this is the explain
alton Of the wonderful growth Of the,
Nonpartisan League. The people Of
this country I beginning to realize
the necessity Of standing together and
fighting their common enemy, Big Biz
and special privilege and with the
Nonpartisan League as their weapon
they will win out against Big Biz
though there is much hard fighting
ahead. United (organized) the peo-
pie win, divided the people lose.
II ID the patriotic duty Of every IL
berty loving person in this country to
enter into the fight against Big Biz.
Every speaker they imported 10
help them ia the campaign was : rod
icll Socialist dependent Mats IN
dspendent As . liar the independent
istbefe and over. We can name I
number d speakers who were not So
cialists. There was the Mayor % Ne
!wark, the Senator from Carolina, Ind
son King and others.
Eysry speaker that Il. I~(ntsntional
V(IQi6ers) A(asociation) hadSdn ~
stamp ~ q autocracy lover soses
taas, Shsspshsarihng Nv pilets