El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-04
Discussee Electric Light
Matters At the City Hall
This Morning.
SEVERAL WARM TALKS
Made BY Partizans Of the Two
Companies, and the Meet
ing Broke Up Without
Doing Anything.

! A caucus of the city council was held
shortly after nine O'Clock this mornin g
every mem Der being present with the
exception of Alderman Whitmore. {.
Mayor Magffin announced, at the
outset that be did not know for what
purpose they had assembled. Mr.
Burton then stated that they had come
to listen to a repetition of a supposed
argument which it was said, had taken
place between Mr.. Petticolss, and
Alexander S. Langsdorf, OF the cleo
trio light company.
Mr.. Lsngsdorf stated that the
day after the council meeting three
weeke ago, when be had first address,
Ell the council, he had m ct Mr.. Petit
oOlas, and had conversation with him
relative To the understanding among
electricians concerning the meaning of
the terms watt and candle power. Mr..
Langsdorf said that MIR. Petticolss had
sd mite d that nominal two Thousand
candle po Eer lsmp was one witch re-
CURED from 500 to $50 watts for it's
oper alton.
Il met him the next day, in com
pany with an official OF my company"
aided Mr. Lsngsdorf, "sud asked him
if be would make this statement tothe
council. The next afternoon 1 again
talked with him in the Office of his
brother, and Mr. Petticolss limited
that 45O watts was generally accepted
ss indicating 1000 candle power"
Mr.. Petticolss then stated TO the
council tha: he had told Mr. Langsdo-f
th at be was placed in such position
whereby be would have to Il axe a test
of the lamps in operation to determine
whether or. not they were of 1000
candle power.
Mr. McCutcheon, on behalf of the new
electric light company, explained she
position of his company at some length.
His company, he said, wanted fair play
and nothing more. He didn's think
his company had en- treated right
in the matter. "You are trying to
make US out thieves and robbers"
said he. He said although the old
company was ten per cent cheaper, and
furnished the lamps free, his COM
pauy had seventy-fve percent of the
electric lighting business among the
business men of the city. He predicted
that il his company we're driven out of
the city by the attacks being made on
1t, it would mean return to the
old conditions. He Insisted that what
he wanted for his company was int ar
tial trestmens.
His attack on the old company
brought Z. T. White violently to his
feet, and after gaining the permission
OF the caucus he proceeded to sdmi-
mister few remarks in the direction
of Mr.. McCutcheon. "The old company
has no kick coming" he said, tbut
the city treated fairly in this matter,
aud to get what Is due them from the
new company"
At this point Mr.. Courchesne in
terjected some remarks, and MIR.
White addressed the rest of his re-
apparently grew angry and moved
restlessly in his seat.
1--WE want them to give what they
have agreed to give. They
have been two years abusing my
company. II they can't furnish
q 1000 candle power lamp, 1 can
furnish 1t, and III furnish it so cheap
that you can afford to give me the city.
Let them talk about candle power, and
not watts said MIR. White, 81 in
tend to stand by the council. The
light the new company is giving now
Is light like a lightning bug gives"
He stated that he had not known of
the caucus meeting, but that he bad
seen the aldermen coming into the
city hall, and had merely entered to
see what as going on. Now that he