Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-02-08
THATELECTRIC BILL
PUBLIC INDIGNATION At THE WAY THINGS
ARE GOING AT CHARLESTON.
A Rsd-Hot Meeting Of the Electric Light Commission
at the City Hall-A Queer Fact About the Bill
Just Brought 10 Light.

bill, now pending in the Legislature, is
rapidly being aroused, and there will be an
explosion before long, unless things take
turn for the better.
The open attack by the lobby against the
bill, the wild talk which has been poured
into the ears of the Senate Committee, and
the attempt TO seriously cripple the bill by
an amendment. have all been heard here
with ill-cOncealed veXation, but when it
was learned yesterday, that in some way
or other there was proposition pending
TO have the city purchase some part of the
existing electric light plant, as the price of
not restrain their indignation. and
during the afternoon and evening
there was more than one suggestion
for mass indignation meeting of citizens,
at which the wants of this community
could be fully shown and an enquiry made
why the people of Wheeling could not be
accommodated, in a matter directly rela-
ting to their home affairs, at the hands Of
the Legislature.
This feeling was greatly intensified last
night, when, at the meeting of the Electric
Light Commission at the City Hall, ii was
| found that the pending bill had been shOrn
OF its leading and most important features,
at some stage of its existence in the House,
I
| furnaces, factories, etc, and supply motive
power having been quietly stricken out
without any one in Wheeling knowing any
/ thing about it. In fact, from what tran
spired last evening, it seems that while the
citizens have been cOngratulating them
selves upon the bill having been passed
! through the House as proposed, in reality
| il had been amended by striking out its
most important and valuable feature.
The following telegram was received in
/ this city yesterday afternoon
CHARLESTON, ". Vs February :.
Thomas f. Th0aer. cir clerk:
shall agree to amend bill so that city shall
/ buy at arbitration price the lighting part OF
electric plant before city sells electricity 10
private consumers, and thus settle matter.
Answer yes Or no.
Immediately upon the receipt of the
above telegram, yesterday afternoon, the
attention of Chairman p +. Farrell, of
the Council Committee on Lights, was
called to the matter Mr. Farrell at once
communicated with President Dunlevy, of
the Board of Gas Trustees, and both
bodies were at once called to meet at half
past seven o'clock last evening, TO consider
the situation. In response TO this call the
Board and Committee met at the gas office,
Mr. Farrell presiding over the joint session.
Before the session was called to order,
/ however, there was a general informal dis
cussiOn of the whole subject and ii was
the unanimous opinion of all present that
what the city and people wanted was a
! clean bill, without amendment, as it passed
! the House of Delegates, and striking out the
/ Senate amendment. No one was willing,
for a moment, TO entertain the idea Of pur-
chasing the existing plant, or any part oft
! When the Joint session was called to
order, Chairman Farrell made statement
of the situation, during which it came out,
as new fact, that after the original
draft of the bill was presented to the House
there had been struck from the bill the fol-
! lowing clause: And also for the purpose
of heating furnaces, factories, buildings,
! houses. engines, cars and cORveyances, and
/ of operating engines, cars. motors and other
motive machinery and for any other pur-
pose for which light, electricity and heat
may be used
This feature of the bill, which, up to this
/ time the committeeman supposed was still
/ in the measure, caused some surprise, and
/ for a time the information was doubted, but
| Secretary FranZheim came before the com
mittee and said Mr.. Farrells information
was correct, and that the change had been
agreed to by the Ohio county delegation
! so as to avoid opposition to too broad
measure.
The Senate Committee amendment, that
"the city of Wheeling shall not charge for
electricity il may furnish TO itself or citi-
zens of the city at less than actual cost of
such electricity 10 the city, and the city
shall keep proper accounts. showing such
cost to it for electricity so furnished, and in
| ascertaining such cost, the interest on
any money or bonds used in the construc-
ton Of such plant shall be ascertained.'
was then taken up. and Mr. Frauzheim made
a statement regarding the amendment say
ing il did not originate with the enemies of
the bill. but with its friends. Mr. FranZheim
thought there was nothing Objectionable
in the amendment, and thought it was Il
good thing, but Trustee Dunlevy differed
with him very radically, and pointed out
several objections to the amendment. one
being the cumulative nature OF the interest
clause, which. while 1t might not be OF con-
sideratiOn at once would, in the lapse Of
time. place such an aggregate OF interest
on the ''cost of production as TO swell the
cost of electricity in years TO come TO
figure at which the city could not compete
with a private enterprise, and might be
left with planto on its hands. There were
other and serious objections TO the amend
ment.
The attention of General Alfred Cald-
well who. in the absence of the City Solici-
tor. had been asked to be present in a legal
capacity. was invited to the clause stricken
from the bill before it passed the House,
and he said the bill had been robbed of its
most valuable feature. and one which the
CITY would rather have than any other.
The idea in drafting the bill was to put in
the hands of the city the power to control
the operating of light machinery, now run
bv water power. so that in the future, the
water works might be relieved of the pres
emf great drain, at unremunerative
rates and the running Of motors, ele-
vators. etc, be transferred to the citys
electric plant, which was a coming motive
mower for certain purposes. To strike out
the motive power feature was to still keep
a monopoly of electricity for motive power
in the hands of a corporatiOn-a most I'M
desirable thing. There was great future
for electricity, and the city ought TO be on
the safe side.
Mr. Franzheim renewed his explanation
Of the action of the Ohio county delegation,
and there was a spirited expression Of opin-
ion on the whole subject, during which the
history of the original standing and the
origin and progress to consumma-
ton of the Wheeling Electrical Company
grant was narrated. During this II was
shown that the Wheeling Electrical Com
pany were originally trespassing on the
streets of Wheeling, without authority to
set up a pole, and that at that time it was
urged by the representatives OF the Flee
trical Company that the city ought not TO
have monopoly, but that she ought to al
low the Electrical Company room to come
in. under the cousummation of the idea. thus
early brought forth, that the city was gong
10 own an electric plant Now the Wheel
ing Electrical Company had reversed its
proposition. and by killing or Gripping the
bending bill, desired to hold for itself the
monopoly it objected to the city having
Going back 10 Col. Whites telegram,
suggesting a purchase, General Caldwell
pointed out that the colored person III that
particular wood pile was the fact that the
purchase of the Westinghouse plant wou!c
contine the city to that species OF machin-
ery. the territorial rights for which were
held bv the Wheeling Electrical Company,
ana that the city would be compelled Tor
9 ID Of