The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-07-05
THE BOND QUESTION AGAIN.


The Revieac last evening charge
that the FREE PBEss is not Stain
the proposition to issue electric ligt
bonds fairly, and that it insinuate
that the council contemplates an il
sue of bonds greater and beyond tn
limits of the pending proposition
The FREE PRESS has made no such il
situation. 1t has simply asked tn
council to furnish the voters informa
tion as to the probable cost of such
plant as it intended to put in, an
where it was going to secure whateve
additional funds that would be needet
to pay the difference between tn
bonds and the cost of the plant. Z
question which is perfectly fair ant
legitimate. Further, it was ques
tion which was asked by the board o
trade, but so far the council has sa
stolidly back and declined to furnish
the voters with any information b.
which they can form an intelligent
opinion upon the matter, and with
out such information no man can vote
intelligently.
We will say right here, that two Of
three correspondents in communica
tiOns published in the FREE PRESS
have asked if it was the intention Of
the council to submit other bono
propositions to the voters, the pro
ceeds of which would be used TOWARD
paying for an electric light plant, but
they made no insinuations that such
would be done.
The Revie,v says that no one really
claims that $4,000 is enough to ''pur
chase and establish a plant such as
Mankatoneeds for public lighting pur
poses;" that such plant may cost
$4,000, $751; 900 or possibly SIG, 900; that
it is 'the intention of the council, as
frequently expressed, to add to the
bond issue sufficient sum out of the
current fund to provide and pay for a
satisfactory plant"
Will the Revieeo please inform a
waiting public when the council ex'
pressed itself of any such in
tention? 1t had a good chance when
the board of trade asked fol
information, but it made nc
such expression, but instead SUBMIT
ed letter in which there was moth
ing definite further than the writer
thought a plant could be put in for
$4,000.
Notwithstanding the Reviews state
ment that no one really claimed Sl0,-
600 is enough for plant, such claim
has been made, and is still being
made, on our streets and in the issue
of the ReUieao of June 10Th, Aid.
Zimmerman says that plant can be
put in for not to exceedSl0, 900 or S12,-
900, and the advocates of the $4,000
bond issue continually convey this
idea.
When the Revieao states that plant
such as Mankato needs will cost a
good deal more than the 100000 it af-
firms what the FREE PRESS has been
declaring all along, but when it advan-
ces information that the council in
tends to appropriate the difference in
cost from the current fund, it as
sumes TO possess information which
the council has not yet deigned to
make public. Further than this that
sheet has been criticising the council
for its extravaganza in appropriating
the city funds for this and that i'm
provement, and asking where all the
money to meet the bills is to come
from. How does it reconcile this,
with it's commentator of the course
which it claims the council will pur-
sue toward an electric light plant?
1t is the aim of the FREE PRESS to
discuss all public questions in a per-
fectly impartial manner. 1t has
sought to secure information for the
voters of the city on this question,
that they might be able to form an
opinion thereon so that they could
vote intelligently, and as a matter of
fact all the information that has so
far been furnished has been through
the FREE PRESS columns. We have
not dealt in theories, fancies or as
sertions, but have confined ourselves
strictly to facts and so far they have
not been controverted.