The Portland daily press., 1899-09-21
Gas Company Gets Con-
tract For 800 Lights.
Spend the Evening in
Oratory.

The city government meeting last eve
ming was equal In interest at least to the
now famous meeting of Monday eve
ming, when Councilman Cloudy Of Ward
2. made his charge OF dragons over the
board Of aldermen. the monopolies, and
whatever else happened to be In the way.
The aldermen had been lured to the CON-
mon council chamber by proposal for
O joint convention, and were unable to
escape during the hour and half that
mir. Goudy had them under his sabre.
Last evening the aldermen abode. like the
prophet Of old, in their breaches, and
from thei vantage ground of their own
room hurled reply and defiance at their
detractors. The members of the comm on
council were present, however and list
ened with wide-open ears. There was a
large audience Of other people also, and
they were abundantly repaid for their
pains in attending.
The only result of the meeting was a
disagreement of the conference commit
tee after session of an hour and half
on the order. giving the Portland Elec-
trio Light company the contract for five
years with power reserved to the city to
cancel 1t at the end Of three years.
An order making q contract with the
Portland GAslight company for 800
Welsbach lights, was passed in concur
renee by the council.
The common council after a stormy
session then passed a new order giving
the contract to Portland Electric Light
company for term OF five or ten years
with rights reserved by the oitysto cancel
the contract at tine end of the first year
The vots on this order was II to 5.
The aldermen had adjourned without
day and without notifying the council
regarding their adjournment so that the
matter now stands practically as 1t did
before, only nav order has been intro
duoed for consideration ard awaits act
ion on the part Of the board of aldermen
and contract Will BIZ made with the
Gas company for 800 street lights.
THE sPEAKING BEGINS.
AS soon as the board Of aldermen was
called to order, Alderman Smith arose
and presented written speech relative
to the electric lighting question and to
the attacks made by Councilman Cloudy
at the previous meeting on Monday eve
ming. Mr.. Smith characterized MI.
Goudy's remarks as ga torrent of abuse, Z"
and branded as utterly false and
without foundation" the personal charges
made against himself. A personal con-
troyersy should not be intro iuced during
the consideration Of q great public ques-
ton. When the pending matter was set
tied he should take occasion to furnish
evidence of the fslsity Of the charges pre-
ferred by the councilman from Seven,
Mr.. Smith then went on to speak of
the occurrence in the South Portland
city government, where exclusive and
monopolistic privileges were given the
Portland Electric Light company, and
said: within a few days member OF
that board of aldermen has publicly ac-
cused some OF his colleagues of having
sold out to the Portland Electric Light
company for the sum of 5000. andzwhat
would certainly tend to give greater
weight to this accusation is the fact that
thu officials of the Consolidated compa-
ny we're approached and offered votes
enough to guarantee them the exclusive
lighting privileges in South Portland,
providing thsy would give as a bride
the sum of $1,000.
MIR. Smith then proceeded to discuss the