Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-02-02
SEEKING FOR LIGHT.
Half of the Council Turns Down the
Mayor and Other Half.

ffalf OF the COUNCIL Turns DOWn the
Mayor and Other Halt.
Mr.. Evans ION Monday introduced
House bill No. 2a3, authorizing the
town OF Marlinsburg to issue bonds
for electric lighting. which was accom-.
panied by petition of the mayor and
/ five councilmen, protesting against its
passage.
There is quite caudal appendage
attached to the above paragraph. A
difference of opinion has for some time
existed among members Of council
and with the mayor as to the light
question, which eliminated last
Thursday night in the adoption OF a
petition to the Legislature, by vote
of 5 to }, two members being absent,
for power to submit to vote of the
citizens of the town proposition to
issue SIS. 900 in bonds, to be used in
the establishment of municipal light
plant.
As all citizens know, the arc lights
have been decidedly offish for sometime
and council has been wrestling with
the problem. Mayor Wilson, as presi-
dent OF the electric light company,
made a proposition which is conceded
to be extremely low, but objection
was made to the length of time (ten
years. which the contract was to run.
The failure to agree and the possibili-
ty of the sale of the plant are assigned
as the chief reasons why the above ac-
ton was taken. As the matter now
stands the Mayor and five members OF
the council are opposed and five mem
bers favor it. Public opinion is de-
cidedly divided upon the question and
tie prospect is that lively times are
ahead of the old burg. Politics is
not in it. Democrat is against Demo-
crat and Republican against Republi-
can. The one lone Populist has not
been heard from. The World and
Herald agree while the Statesman
hopes to snatch some partisan advan-
tage from the fray.
To our mind the scheme is one of
doubtful utility The bonded debt of
the town is large and to add SIS, 600
will be to take heavy load. If the
plant could be erected and the town
wired for the amount proposed, fuel
and labor would, with the interest,
cost fully as much as to accept Mr.
Wilson'S proposition.
Again, the history Of electric light
plants in this city is not such as to
warrant any expectation of great pc
cuniary profit. A sale of the old plant
having been ordered by the court, the
present move will have a tendency to
largely depreciate its value and may
result in no light at all,
Present indications are that three
fifths vote in favor of the proposition
cannot be secured, in which case it
would be lost Iii the meantime the
sale under the decree of the court
would be hampered for the reason that
home capital would hesitate to take
hold of the matter with the scheme
proposed by council staring them in
the face, and outside capital can easily
find less risky investments.
The argument in favor Of the propo-
sition is that someone may purchase
the electric light plant and refuse to
give rates which the town can afford
to pay, which is much like crossing
the bridge before getting to it, Such
a contingency can be avoided by ac-
cepting Mr.. Wilson'S proposition.
1t is also stated that in case lights can
be procured at reasonable rates the
DoHuS VIII nol DC NSsuSdi put IL 10 lOi
gotten that bonds lying around loose
are great temptation to extravaganza.
There are other and more potent
reasons why the bonds should not be
ordered or issued-matters affecting
the future welfare and prosperity of
the town, which we are not now at
liberty to which should cause
members of council favorable to the
project to retrace their steps.