The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-13
MAYOR WILL CALL
SPECIAL MEETING
Council to Once More Consider
Public Lighting Question.
Water Commission VIII Be Asked 10 ParlIeI.
pate Ia The Proceedings Citizens VIII
Watch the Outcome and Judge
the Men Accordingly.

II am glong 10 call a special meet
Ing OF the council before the explra-
tlon Of the street lighting contract"
said Mayor Bergman. "and the water
commission can meet with them. II II
desires While have no opinion TO
express regarding the lighting ques-
tion. other than 70 say would be very
sorry 20 see the streets In darkness.
quite agree with you that the light
Ing question should be settled at once" 4"
There Is more In this coming spec
ial meeting Of the council than ap-
pears on the surface. The owners and
agents Of the West Shore Mills Com
pany have not given up all hope Of
continuing their hold on the public
treasury. The emissaries OF the COM
pany have been working night and
day. trying 20 stem the tide Of public
oplniun. In the hope that the West
Shore Mills Company viii be able at
the coming special meeting OF the
council 10 bully, coax or bamboozle the
majority OF the councilmen who threw
OUT their bid. into accepting some sort
OF compromise thai VIII allow them
10 continue TO rob the taxpayers upon
their own terms. stand and deliver"
Eut the West Shore Mills Company
is not going to be allie to either bull
doze or fool the council. The citizens
~ Astoria are wide-awake on the
lighting proposition and they have
made II clear to their representatives
in the municipal legislative body that
they not only approve OF the stand
the council has taken In regard to the
West Shore Mills compauys bid. but
that they expect them TO go ahead and
forever release the city Of Astoria from
the choking throttle OF that grasping
and sresdy corporation.
The council can be depended upon to
do It's duty. The men who voted against
the West Shore Mills Company TO
drive them from the eitys treas
ury. did not &C. on the spur Of the
moment. nor win they stultify them
selves by going back upon the decided
stand they have taken because Of the
bogie OF dark streets for a week or
two, perhaps. which is the only ar
gument that has or can be made in OBJ
ta.tf,t, ., th.t, o.ttnr L., raf,,st,.- D.,
allow the city 20 be longer robbed.
But 1t Is not what the council viii
do that the citizens are anxious about.
II is what the water commission viii
do. or viii not do. that concerns them.
II, when the special meeting Of the
council is called. the members OF the
water commission fail TO meet with
that body and declare themselves upon
the public lighting question. then the
citizens will have reason 10 believe that
the power OF the West Shore Mills
Company extends further than 1t has
ever been Imagined even by that COM
pany's most active opponents. and its
real enemies are not few.
The special meeting Of the council win
test the metal and the manhood Of the
public servants Of Astoria. 1t win
show whether the men elected or ap-
pointed to serve the people, to watch
over thei- interests. to strive for the
uphullding Of the city. are honest men,
faithful TO their trust loyal to the peo-
pie. or whether they are the tools OF
a monopoly, and If they prove Them
selves TO be renegades and tools. the
reason for their attitude on the great
public question viii not be hard to
guess.
The people want the streets lighted;
they want more and better lights in
their factories. stores and dwellings,
bur they will no longer submit to ex-
tortion, either as taxpayers or individ-
uals. They know that the water COM
mission and city council have it in
their power to relieve them from the
extortions imposed and practiced by
the West Shore Mills Company and il
the water commission does not aid the
council and exercise the power 1t
possesses, the people win know the rea.
son why.
This is no time for ooaxing and COM
promising matters. The issue is cearly
cut. There are but two sides to the
question and the peoples servants are
now called upon to take one side or
the other, for or against the people.