The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-07-12
MR. MoRaAN WRArRY.
Calls the Council Collection of Alb
normally Developed Jackasses.

normally Developed Jackasses.
Every agreement is subject to con
dltions, said Harrison Morgan this
morning, when he was asked to ex-
plain the attitude of the Topeka Gas
company OF which he is the local man
ager, in regard to the letter written on
tepruary IL, 1898, by Anthony K
Brady. Continuing Mr.. Morgan said:
During the time which has inter-
Nened since that agreement was made
the gas company has been required to
eApehd on an average Of $40 900 each
year on account Of paving Street
grades nave been arbitrarily lowered,
tnus making it necessary for US to
lower our n aims. It has cost US on an
average of $500 a block to do this. In
view OF the changed conditions we of
course feel that the implied agreement
which the company had with the city is
no longer Of force and effect
MI Morgan then took a few right
hand punches at the city council
They are all nice men, Individuality
he said, but take them collectively.
sitting as a council. they are collec-
ton of abnormally developed jack
asses
7 should think that sometime thew
would learn that they can't acconlp-
lish anything by attacking municipal
corporations said the gas company's
manager. Look at their fight with the
water company They have been
beaten in every suit they ever had with
the water company, and look at where
they are now. They have ACCOMPLISHED
absolutely nothing They have arrived
at no result
The inference from Mr.. Morgan's re-
mark was that the city would en-
counter another series Of defeats If it
should try to interfere with the gas
company's rates.
We can beat the city on every prop
os1ton. We can prove, first, that our
rates are not higher than the rates
usually charged by other cities Of sim
6 f~~af ff-17-7 r. <-sk k-.7.
ond, that If our rates are lowered the
company Will not make a fair return
on the money which it has invested
On either of those PROPOSITIONS the
courts Will sustain us.
The average rate charged for gas
in Topeka is $1.45. We charge only 81. 35
for gas engines. hotels and large
laundries. This brings the average
down to S1.45- The neWspaper have
been trying to create the impression
that we charge $150 and $165 1t is
also false that we refuse to tell how
many miles of mains we have in the
city. We have at present just about
81 miles of gas mains in the city"
It was suggested to Mr. Morgan that
a good many people in town believe
that the reason the gas company has
not been making money, as it claims,
is because it has been held up by
several fake gas companies which were
granted a city franchise for dollar
gas" and never built Mr.. Morgan did
not make a direct denial of this, but
said.
What reason would we have for
allowing ourselves to be held up by one
of these dollar gas companies? We
knew they would not be built, simply
because they were not founded on
business principles We knew that If
they should actually be built and COM
n ence to operate, they could not live.
because dollar gas cannot be sold in
this town. and allow any margin for
profit. So you can see that there was
no reason for us to pay these people
to keep OUT
What action win the gas company
take2' was asked.
I can not say replied Mr.. Morgan.
we viii try to get the council to re-
consider its action Further than that
/ am not in a position to say what our
course Of action viii be-