El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-28
WILL THE GAME
BE Baked
The City Is In Danger Of
Falling Into a Trap.

I"O O'ly 10 III OoiiSOi VI
Falling Into a Trap.
1.-THE LIGHT CORPORATION
Anxious to Fasten An Implied Con.
tract" On the People, But Business
| Men Are WariIy Watching Every
Move Of the Agents Of the Com
bine.-Felix Martinez is Ready to
Establish An Electric Plant.
The bills presented by the Ell Paso
Gas. Electric Light and Power COM
psny for lights furnished the city dur
ing the months of Februsry.and March,
at the price embodied In the new con-
tract which the people believed they
had knocked out in January, created
suspicion.
It is surmised that the 'combine"
will m AXE an effort to get the bills al
lowed at the rate of 90 25 per light
au5 then contend that the contract
hastily signed some months ago by
Mayor Msgoffin and afterwards cam
celled is still alive and binding.
| Prominent lawyers said this morning
that should the rate of 80 25 per light
be accepted by the council it will
create an implied contraci" aod the
electric and gas combination will have
good 6 rounds for law suit to enforce
the new contract and in all probability
it won prove ironclsd for five years.
| 1t was. to evade this embarrassing
condition of affairs that Mr.. Badger
caused the bills OF the company
to be referred to the finance committee
wha- action will he taken is a question
but il is safe to assert that the people
are watching closely the actions of the
city officials in their dealings with the
'cOmDine
1t is asserted that the gas and cleo
trio light companies of this city are
com bination or trust and under the
| laws of the great state of Texas not
entitled to exist. San Antonio recent
| ly set the example in dealing with
| monopolies of this class and after
legal fight the corporations by the
courts decision forfeited their char
ter.
WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT.
What the people of Ell Psso ask at
the hands of the mayor and aldermen
is not much. They want at least 80
days notice before any contract Is en-
tered into for lighting the city and
they want bids called for and all official
actions in regard to the contract and
all dealings with the present company
open and above board. Nor do they
want the city bound by any implied
contract which the acceptance of the
SO. 25 rate would mean.
1t has been charged that the light
company was waiting until after the
reelection of Magoffin before rendering
its bill to the city and that trouble
yould then be made for the people with
Msgoffin sand some of the aldermen
FELIX MARTINEZ READY.
At the meeting between the mass |
meeting committee and the mayor and |
aldermen Hon. Felix Martinez pro-
posed to establish a company to furnish |
all night arc lamps to the city at SO |
each and incandescent lights to stores |
at 81 each. When seen this morning
Mr.. Martinez said he is now ready to |
carry out his proposition to the letter. |
"All we ask" said ne, sis that com
petition be allowed and if the present
company out bids US, neither we nor
the people will say word. 1t is for
the benefit of the people thatI pro-
posed to establish this plant, but at
those prices it will pay large dividends
earth, but will be satisfied to receive
compensation.
81 have q strong company behind
me and am ready to erect the plant.
THE business men of this city are
closely watching the result of the light
controversy and L am satisfied they
will subscribe twenty or thirty thou
selves rather than pay the exorbitant
rates demanded by the present COM
pany. Why, they would at the present
price save the value of their entire
capital stock in six months time e, for
citizens of this town are now paying
a hont $4,000 per month for lights.
"All we ask is competition and we be-
lieve we will get it,
SAN ANTONIO MIDDLE.
In San Antonio the people appealed
to the courts for justice and got it.
They went after the scalp of the San
Antonio Gas and Electric Light COM
pany and the attorney general now
wears it in his belt.
The charter OF the corporations was
declared forfeited as result of quo
proceedings on the grounds
that the two corporations had formed
a trust or com bination contrary to the
laws OF Texas.
Lawyers say that the FL Paso Gas
and Electric Light company is in the
same boat and has existed illegally for
several years.
The San Antonio proceedings are
interesting. They follow:
THEIR CHARTERS FORFEITED.
The quo warranto proceedings instit-
by the attorney general in behalf of
state |