Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-27
The Othar side.

The Other Side.
A member of the Common Council
writes us communication from which
The reader can learn the views Of the
gentlemen who favor leasing out the gas
works. The communication is as fol-
lows:
TO the Editor Of the Dispatch'
| am reading your articles on the gas
question with a great deal Of interest. |
need enlightenment on the subject and
want TO act with Judgment and hope
Won will continue them. AS business
proposition / can't help favoring the
iease-Awith proper restrictions-aS the
proposed lessees offer to give better gas,
more OF il. at lower price, and pay the
city more by 20 10 % per cent than 1t
(the works. now pays If q party was
10 offer to lease my business, pay me
more than I can possibly make ont of it,
furnish my customers better goods mt
cheaper prices, what can be said against
accepting the offer?
Your remarks so far have not con-
WINGED me to the contrary. In fact, yOur
paragraph of this morning rather
strengthens the proposition to lease, for
Won say gas has been offered to Phila-
delphia at 30 cents per thousand cubic
feet. Suppose we have like offer.
What then? | would also like to ask,
Suppose all our large consumers OF gas
do as Won are said TO have done-put in
electric lights-what would be the result,
financially To the CITY ?
A COUNCILMAN.
The reader will see that this commu-
nication is based upon a bare assump-
tion which we have shown to be utterly
groundless. It is assumed that the
lessees will give better gas; but will
they? How can they? They are not
going to make the gas themselves, but
will employ experts to make it. Why
cannot Richmond employ experts
But we are told that the lessees will
pay "the city" more by 20 to % per
cent. than the works now pay. And of
course they Will make 20 to % per cent.
for themselves. Now, then, out OF whose
pockets is all this money to come ?
Why, out of the pockets OF the people
who constitute the city This city Is
asked to pay a large price TO few gem
tlemen in order to get them to do the
work which our Committee on Light
Fought TO do as well or better, and then
asked to believe that it would be
benefit to "the city" to make the people
who constitute the city pay the proposed
1essees If a party were to pro-
pose to lease GA Councilman's bust
ness, and pay him more ont of
his (the councilmans) own pocket
than he is making out of his business him
telf, he would probably think twice be-
fore accepting the proposition. The
gas customers are the real lessons (;
and the lessees simply propose to take
tie business under their control and
make the real lessons (the people) pay to
the nominal lessor (the city, large sum
of money more than they now pay, and
IN addition thereto pay the lessees many
thousands of dollars a year. Out of
whose pockets does "a Councilman ="
flatter himself that all this money is to
come? Does be really believe that the
lessees are going to pay it ont OF their
own pocket
So far as the proposition to lease out
the gss-works is concerned, the city Of
Richmond and the people OF Richmond
ore the same entity.
All the assumptions in "a Council
mans" communication are disproved by
facts. II he will not be convinced by
the experience Of the world, We cannot
help it. What reason is there for as
Stunning that Richmond is to have diff
terent experience from all the other
cities which have tried this experiment
None. Why not profit by the sad ex-
perience OF those who have tried the
plan which We are now asked to Try {?
1t has been tested in hundred places,
and failed in most Of them. Hear once
more what has been settled. We quote
The Nation:
"The relation Of our modern munich
pelity 10 the gas supply is one of ahe
most interesting questions of local gov
eminent and local finance now before
the public. II is what may be called
burning question in this country in
every large city and in many small ones
English experience is the
longest and most varied. and cannot but
be Of great value TO us. The English
Parliament and English localities hare
tried nearly all possible experiments
in this field, and the conclusion 10 which
they are very rapidly drifting is that
the only solution OF the pro6icm lies n,
the ownership and management Of gas
scorks BIZ The municipalities" THAT is,
the cities.)
"a Councilman" final question
shows that in this matter too he has
learned nothing from experience The
introduction Of electric lights has re-
duced the consumption of gas in no
single city. Philadelphia is now
sbout 10 make every day three
millions Of cubic feet Of gas more
than she made before any cleo
trio lights were introduced there. Aud
what an unsophisticated gentleman
"a Councilman must be to credi. the
proposed lessees OF the gas-works with
being willing TO take worthless gas
works of our hands Seriously, "a
Councilman's closing question is
warning TO him and his associates i'll the
City Council not TO lease out the gas
works 10 be turned back 10 us years
hence, worthless. We know this is an
imaginary danger, but II is real one to
ga Councilman o.; and therefore, he
would sin against his own conscience il
he were TO lease out the gas-works. He
onght to insist upon selling them at once
TO the highest bidder
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