The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-03-19
WHY He DID TT.
E. C. Hazelton Explains His Action in Re-
lation to the Lighting Franchise.

| lation to the Lighting Franchise.
Mr.. EDITOR: viii you be kind
enough to allow me little space to tel!
the public why have interested my
self in the question of lighting the city.
am a taxpayer and have a right to
express my opinion and exercise my
rights. | have paid into the city treas
ury at least $4,000 I have done a
few things to promote the welfare of
our city; would have done more if /
had been allowed to. | was once in
terested in water company. Many
times did | ask the council for a per-
mission to do certain things, 80 the
public would be better served. 1t was
never granted. When the Chicago
Brass Co" came here the question OF a
water supply was serious one. The
water company was then OVertaXed,
but the brass mill must have water.
How did it get it? The water COM
pany had no money. The Superintend-
ent of the water company went down
deep into his pocket, and also Dor
rowed all the money he could over his
own signature, put down another we'll
and extended the water mains to said
brass mill, and for a nominal sum, not
4 per cent. on the cost of the invest
ment. Other things similar were done
that we will not mention. Will leave
it to the general public whether the old
water company did service to the peo-
pie. The public think the owners of
the company made fabulous fortunes
The truth is, that they never made a
dollar above the then current interest
would have been thousands of dollars
better off if never had been in the
business. What followed: The build
ing of the " City Water Co." by w. FL.
Wheeler, the city paying him $4,000
more than the price offered by the peo
pie owning the old water company, and
the said e" City Water Co." was built
almost exactly under the plans pre-
pared and submitted by the promoters
of the old water company, which was at
the time pronounced by the city en-
gtneer as tie best plan presented
Our people did the engineering and the
other fellow carried off the profits. Ke
nosha people were not in it. The true
saying: " A prophet is not known in his
own country" An outsider comes in
and takes the chestnuts and is Landed
to the skies by mayor whose name is
not even on the tax roll, and who is
lying awake nights to devise some
scheme whereby the said Wheeler can
get another big "rake off" from the
city.
/ have not one dollars interest in the
stock of the Kenosha Light and Power
Co., and have not one word to say
about it's management. do own some
mortgage bonds on the plant. If an
other lighting plant was built it would
depreciate said bonds. | CLAIM the
credit of installing the incandescent
lighting system, the same creating a
competition in lighting, and was and is
the means of the city of KenOsha get
ting first class gas, and at very low
price. The price of light in KenOsha
today is cheaper than ANY city of it's
size in the northwest. Will the gener-
Gus public give me credit for few
things have done? / do not claim a
right to stand in the way of public
improvements, and there is no one
more pleased to have them than the
writer of this. Under fair competi-
ton, if am hurt, [ will take my medi-
cine like a man.
Now to the point. In the scheme of
Mr. Wheeler there is absolutely no COM
petition. He simply names his price,
and from the best information | could
get, the council was about to give it to
him, hence my protest. If the city
would formulate their "specifcations"
for such Lighting Plant" as they
desired, asking bids for same, and Gre
ating a competition, then should it hit
me hard, you will not hear one word OF
dissatisfaction. Further, | have had
actual experience in this business and
I positively know the city can purchase
the needed light much less than it can
produce it. l have secured expressions
from many Of our people regarding the
city accepting the Wheeler scheme,
and have found but one person in favor
of it.
Lastly we already have a very
large bonded Indebtedness, and [ am
positively opposed that it shall be
made larger. If 1 succeed | will some
day have the thanks of the whole COM
munity. r. U. HAzELTON.