The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-01-22
ELECTRIC LIGHT AGAIN.

Without previous warning or 1ntl'
nation of any kind the city council at
its Saturday night meeting, sprung a
resolution asking for bids for the in
stallation of an electric lighting plant
with a capacity of sixty or seventy-fve
arc lights of 1000 candle power, bids
to be opened February 9Th. Adver-
tisements for the sale of $4,000 in
city bonds were also authorized to be
made, bids to be opened at the same
date.
1t seems that the stalking ghost of
municipal ownership of an electric
light plant will not down-at least not
while the present council lives. The
people are heartily tired of the SUBJ
ject, and entirely satisfied with the
present system and the reasonable
contract now in effect. If the council
is really sincere in believing that the
citizens of Mankato want to saddle
upon themselves an Indebtedness of
$4,000, or any other sum, be it more
or less, for municipal plant. the
question could be most effecLually
and permanently settled by re-submit-
ting the proposition to a vote at the
election-now less than ninety days
distant. This council has been
"'monkeYing" with this question for
the past two years. The people are
well advised of the action that has
been taken from time to time without
reviewing it here. The bonds voted a
year and half ago were put on the
market, and one of the best financial
concerns in the country, after looking
up the law under which they were
voted, declared they would not
purchase them because of the belief
that they were not legally issued.
There has been no change in the COM
plexion of these bonds since, and if
they were illegally issued nothing has
since transpired to legalize them.
Before the matter was sprung the
council held conventional and usual
''star chamber" session IN the office of
the president of the board of public
works and matters fixed up so as to
cause no inquiry or discussion when
the subject should come up for action.
These ''innocent" conferences on mat
tiers that should, and do, concern the
public are becoming quite frequent,
and without rejecting upon the coun-
Gil, and the good intentions of the
members, it would seem much more
to their credit if a free and full dis
cussion of all their acts or proposed
acts were made under the reflex of
an open meeting. They are acting
for the public and their acts should be
public, and the reasons therefore
given.
There are those who believe this to
be political move pure and simple.
Whether it is or is not, it would seem
to be one of questionable propriety.
And the reason why the evident pur-
pose of the council to 90 ahead with
the placing of bonds and putting in of
the plant is of questionable eXpe-
diency at this time is two fold. First,
because of the near approach of the
spring election, and second, because
there is well founded reason for be-
iieving that if left at this time to
vote of the people the proposition
would be overwhelmingly defeated.
The city has about all the political
offices now that the taxpayers can
keep up without making room for
more. If they haven't, and really
want more, and want to plunge far
ther into debt, the fact could easily
be demonstrated by permitting them
50 express their wishes at the polls in
April. There is, or should be, no
haste in the council at this late date
ursurping the powers and prerogatives
of the tax payers on a matter little
understood two years ago and which
has been allowed to drag along
eighteen months without protest and
quite to the satisfaction of the people
generally of the city.
The council owes it to itself to ex-
plain why, under such circumstances,
it deigns to force the issue upon the
eve of city election. The Mankato
Electric Light and Gas Company have
a standing proposition, for reason
able term of years, to furnish arc
lights of 1000 candle power for $1,000
ger year 1t is not believed that the
city can duplicate these figures.