Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-07-24
THE NATURAL GAS QUESTION.

The City Council will have no more
important public measure to occupy its
attention this evening than the propo-
sition presented by the Gas Trustees for
utilizing natural gas in lighting and
heating the city.
This proposition has been pending for
some weeks, and has had a very gen.
eral discussion, and has very deeply in
terested our whole people. 1t is a pro-
position that has already passed the
Judgment of a greater part of the az
perienced and practical business men of
the city.
We think il is due to the public that
the Council should give this proposition
Of the Gas Trustees u fair, rull, and bus
iness-like consideration; that it shout |
act promptly and decisively; and that
no rival proposition presented in the
interest of lew individual capitalists
should be allowed to obstruct or delay
the early realization of whatever bene-
fits may accrue to the city by subStitu-
ting the natural gas for the msnufac-
tured article in lighting and heating.
There can be no reason or excuse for
allowing n rival proposition to take pre-
cedence of that of tine Gas Trustees ex-
cept it be upon the ground that it is for
the public benefit that a private com.
| pany be granted this privilege to the
exclusion OF the city. Such q plea is
absurd and ridiculous, on its face.
There is no inducement a private COM
pany can offer for the exclusive privi-
lege that cannot be made a thousand
fold more advantageous to the pnblic
by reserving the privilege which the
city possesses and giving the people the
benefit from first hands
The city already possesses gas mains
traversing almost every street and sup
plying nearly all the buildings within
its limits. There would be no necessity
for digging up and ObStructing the
streets with new mains. There would,
i'm most instances, b. little or no extra
cost to the individual citizens in con-
Quoting gas into their dwellings, mas
much as the present pipes would, with
little alteration, answer the purpose of
both lighting and heating. All that
would he necessary would be to turn the
ga into the city's present reservoir,
subject it to such processes as might
improve its quality, and send it along
through the old mains and pipes with
out disturbing or altering a single part
Of the existing system. aud at a cost OF
fifty per cent below tn present rIsas.
Moreover, the present site of the city's
gas works is one Of the most favorable
that could be named for boring. An
experiment could be made at a tritling
cost. The gas consumers have already
paid Into the department a sufficient
revenue to meet the expense. No ex.
ira tax or appropriation will be asked
fol-. II the experiment is successful the
gas consumers are certainly entitled to
its benefits, and if it fails they will not
complain. They are entitled to the
right to mske Il whether they fail or
succeed, and in all conscience, if a pri-
vate company q afford to buy or lease
ground, erect new works, bore wells,
lay mains all over the city and make
connections with every dwelling sad
make money at it, cannot the city
afford the simple risk of boring a hole
to obtain the gas? Can the city afford
to transfer its valuable privileges in this
regard to a private company for the
simple asking? Can it afford to fritter
away these right, and estop itself and
oil others from their future enjoyment
to crafty and enrich q private corpora.
ton?
Further than this, is the city to be
deluded intoa scheme for d~eprecisting
if not destroying its present property by
bringing a rival company into compe.
tition with its gas works? True, this
company that is asking to supercede
III city in the exclusive privilege OF
Finishing gas, Is asking to furnish it
ionly for heating purposes; but after it is
furnished and paid for by the consumer,
who is to say that he shall lot use 1t for
whatever purpose he plesses? What
ordinance or edict Of the c ity Council
can prohibit him from using it to light
his house IS we'll as to heat it? What
power or authority can prevent him
from shutting off the city gas, tearing
out the city pipes, and leaving the city
without an a~vocation In the matter of
furnishing gas" To say that this would
not he the result, Is to gay that 8 man
would prefer gas at sl.lO a thousand,
when he can get an equally good article
at so cents per thousand.
We have q good deal Of faith In the
good judgment and common sense of
the City Council, yet We conceive that
it is possible for q body Of men to DO
Observation-Disclosures into . serious
mistake in such matters as this; but We
cannot conceive that upon the present
question they could blunder into fritz
tering away franchises of such value
and importance TO the city. Let them
close the controversy at ono and for
ever by allowing the representatives Of
the city to utilize the city's rights and
franchises in this matter.