I have no intention, however, of discussing that principle now, but it
was the point from which we had to start in our first campaign, the
point from which all cities will have to start if they wish to be free.
The task we faced was relatively greater than that which Jones had
faced; we had a full ticket in the field, a candidate for every city
office and a man running for the council in every ward in town. Jones
had run alone, and though he succeeded there was always a council and
a coterie of municipal officials who represented the other interest in
the community. Of course he had made our work possible by the labor
he had done, great pioneer that he was. He had been his own platform,
as any candidate after all must be, but with our large movement it
was necessary to reduce our principles to some form and we tried to
do this as simply as we could. We put forth our belief that local
affairs should be separate from, and independent of, party politics,
and that public officers should be selected on account of their honesty
and efficiency, regardless of political affiliations; that the people
should be more active in selecting their officials, and should not
allow an office-seeker to bring about his own nomination; that the
prices charged by public service corporations should be regulated by
the council at stated intervals; and that all franchises for public
utilities should first be submitted to a vote of the people, that the
city should possess the legal right to acquire and maintain any public
utility, when authorized so to do by direct vote of its people, that
every franchise granted to public service corporations should contain
an agreement that the city might purchase and take over its property
at a fair price, whenever so voted by the people, and that no street
railway franchise should be extended or granted, permitting more than
three-cent fares, and unless it includes provision for universal
transfers, satisfactory service, and reasonable compensation for the
use of bridges, and we demanded from the legislature home rule, the
initiative and referendum and the recall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account