Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-01-16
PUT THE PEOPLES OUT.
The Davenport Council Finds q Plan of Ex
Guiding 1t.

hC A&os 0nPOrt NOutCAi anhs = z Aah VI Esx-
Guiding 1t.
The Davenport council at its spe.
cial meeting yesterday afternoon sue
ceeded in carrying into execution its
design to exclude the Peoples COM
pany of Rock Island and Moline from
the possibility of securing the con-
tract for the lighting of that city for
the next 25 years. Although the
company was the lowest bidder the
burdensome nature of the ordinance
offered the company, as heretofore
stated, was such that the company
could not accept it-and it was never
intended on the Iowa side that it
should be accepted.
At the close of the 3-hours' session
yesterday afternoon the council let
the contract to Walsh Bros, of Clin-
ton, in preference to the Twin-City
company, on terms which involve
direct discrimination against the
Twin City corporation at every
step. The contract dates for 25
years. and the Democrat says:
.'The contract for lighting the city
Of Davenport for the next 25 years
with the firm of Walsh Bros, of Gin.
ton, and former statements of the
price at which Davenport is to get
its light for that length of time will
have to be revised. The ordinance
whose lines will be followed, it is to
be presumed, in the drawing up of
the contract stpiulates that $50
moonlight lamps and so all-night
lamps shall be furnished for $50 per
year, additional ail-night lamps to
be paid for at the rate of Ss5 per
year, the price of all to be fixed by
arbitration at the end of each term
of five years, and at no time to be
fixed higher than so per lamp per
annum. These figures are, as they
will appear on their face, a quite
liberal concession to the contractors
compared with the terms which were
incorporated into the ordinauce that
was recently offered to the Peoples
Light company. which presented
the lowest bid for lighting the city
at the time that the contract was
open in form to competition; but
the Peoples company had stated
that it could not accept the councils
ordinance as it had been drawn, and
the council in granting the contract
to the Clinton company, presumably
acted for the best interests of the
CITY,"
Knocking Out the Lowest.
After the council had made fran
tic efforts to 90 into a secret session
on the matter, and after the notice
had been given by the Peo-
pies Power company that it conld
not accept the ordinance as proposed,
but presenting one in place with
reasonable notifications the council
made bolt for the Clinton bid and
shut out the lowest one backed by the
capital and power of the Rock Island
side of the river. The council went
into com mittee of the whole with
the mayor in the chair, and after
considering the various ordinances
rose, suspended the rules and passed
the ordinance favorable to Walsh
Bros. GU the first reading. This
gives the new company, the Daven-
port Consolidated Gas, Electric
Light and Steam Heating company,
the lighting contract; in other
words, it gives it to Walsh Bros. OF
Clinton, who are at the head of this
corporation. This will practically
finish the Davenport city lighting
question for some time to come at
least, and it also assures the erection
OF new electric. gas and steam
heating. plant. costing over $500. 1000.
The company intended filing articles
Of Incorporation today.