CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1900-03-22
$4,000 of bonds of the local COM


company. You then say, il it not
fact that We secured this stock and
these bonds within a period of six
months last past! / answsr yes, that
we did, but that We. never acquired
single share Of stock, nor . dollars
worth of bonds until the local COM
pany, under your advise, saw fit to
oppose the granting of our franchise
and throw obstacles in our path when
endeayoring to carry out in good
faith the requirments of the ordi-
nance granted to us by the city coun-
Gil, but that when you saw fit to
take up the cudgels against US we
met you hall, way and determined
that we would what the condition of
this much vaunted company of yours
was, and what it done with its earn
ings, which by right ought to have
gone into dividends to the stock
holders of the company. | think, sir,
that this matter il of but little in
terest to the people Of this COM
munity. and answer it because you
seem SO anxious to have it answered.
Tiou concede in your open letter
that the Tice ordinance il invalid,
that it was granted under the same
law as the ordinance under which we
seek to operate, but did anybody ever
hear of your concending it was in
valid until / in the open letter re-
ferred TO by you, confronted your
company with the inconsistent posi-
tious it was taking upon these two
franchises? Do you not know as a
matter Of fact that the old company
which you have 90 long represented
a. its legal adviser, has been pre-
tending to operate under this very
Tice ordinance. now bears upon the
window Of its Office the name of the
new company organized to operate
under the Tics franchise, and not the
name Of the old Slater company which
took the Blake ordinance? Do you
not know a. matter Of fact that
within thirty days bills have been sub
mitted, made out ON printed bill
heads Of the new company which took
this Tice franchise which you admit
is invalid! Did anybody ever hear of
your appearing before the council as
a taxpayer at the time the Tice fran
chise was under consideration for the
purpose of resisting il? Did anybody
ever hear Of your appearing before
that body to resist the amendment to
the Tics franchise which would put
it in position 20 that the Slater com
pany could absorb it, | think not.
Your companion Of the different
rates fixed in the Blake, or Slater,
ordinance and mine il entirely mis-
leading. Thsrs wefe txo kinds Of
light provided for in the Plaks or
dinance st double the amount Of
mine. and one at the ssms rate, which
makes my ordinance rate little
more than half Is much as the Blake
ordinance on all lights provided for.
say again. a. | did in my former
letter, that il We are permitted to
construct q plant here we expect to
compete with all existing light plants,
or those that may come hereafter. We
are confident tLet we can furnish a
better light than is being furnished
by the old company, and that We can
and will furnish it at less price than
the old company has been doing. In
any event, nobody il compelled by
law to take any lights of US, and no
one is likely to do it unless we make
it to their advantage to do SO.
For years the people of Canon City
through the Chamber of Commerce
and committees of public spirited
citizens have been trying to induce
outside capital to cast its lot with US.
The first enterprise of magitude that
has come TO US in the past ten years
is my associate, The Colorado Electric
Power Company. It has spent on its
plant and line connecting this place
with the great gold camp near
quarter of . million dollars. 1t seeks
to bring manufactures and other en-
terprises to US and build up its own
business and our city; but when it
seeks the poor privilege of spending
its money in this city, and asks for an
opportunity to compete with the COM
pany which you represent upon some
thing like an equal footing, it is such
public spirited citizens as you that
cry out foreign corporation, monopoly.
away with progress, long live the old
order of things.
Judging me by the company you
you say that am trying
to procure franchise which will en-
able me to absorb the old company
and leave the city in the grasp Of
a monopoly still. II | was asking for
more than the right to do
business in the city. or If l were ask
ing for some exclusive right this
might carry some weight. But the
Of my franchise in no degree
prevents or hinders the city from in
stalling its own plant whenever it
chooses, and how, any possible mono
poly can furnish any LESS light for
MORE money thar the present one,
is not easy to conceive. When any
change must be for the better, it is
the part of widsom to vote for
change.
C. C. CoNKLE.