Daily camera., 1901-02-28

lntcu0cQ investors IN our tlluCS tudl lhe
district they propose to invest in is un
profitable for mining and deals fall b.
reason OF the insidious, damning voice
and insinuation Of the "knocker." THIS
term applies to men who discourage en-
terprlse, who belittle their town and
county and who retard their development
by an adverse word or a warning note.
Who can say that an electric line betting
Boulder from east 10 west shall not pay !?
The president Of the Boulder Electric
Light company has repeatedly said thai
the Chautauqua was losing venture for
Boulder and yet it has done more to I'D
ver,ise this city. 10 add beautiful homes
and to unity the citizens for a common
purpose than any enterprise and has at
fordsd for our cit zens a character and
degree of enteitairm mt and insuuc
ton not within the rsach of the citizens
of any other town in the west. 1t has
upliftsd Boulder and added to her fame
as the Athens of Colorado" 1t has
kept thousands OF dollars here where
before each summer they went in
search of pleasures elsewhere. Year
after year 1t is growing in useful
ness and We are not OF those who can
see that it has been losing venture nor
that it will fail. The sine qua non OF the
Chautauqua is the electric road, whose
rehabilitation citizens propose and whose
extension over the city is contemplated d
as part and parcel Of the lighting and
power project. When urged and pleade d
with 10 build ioiI, ,n be operated dur.
lng the Chaut .uqla season, the old COM
oany, dominated by DR. l. L. Bond and
other old togies. refused TO come to
Boulder's aid. This company. which
came into bsicg because It had deb. as
an asset and which has, from its own
profits been able, after the payment. OF
large dividends annually. aud the dump
ing OF s75,ooo of water upon its $4,000
of capitalization. TO enjoy monopoly OF
domestic and munici pal lighting, refused
the palpable opportunity of avoiding
competition by stroke OF legitimate
enterprise. 1t has gouged the public in
season aud out. 1t has kept Boulder in
darkness on stormy days I,has refused
to ligh, the easements and vaults Of tn
city in the daytime. and has operated a,
all times as the soulless corporation il
IS. asking the people what are you CO.
ing TO do about i.?' One official declared
TO the Camera that IA per cent (on the
increased capitalization, mind you, o.,
IS on the original inves.men) was
legitimate profit, because of the wear
and tear and coming Of rev appliances
As 10 electric ligh, it was a luxury and
people should be willing to pay for it.
lades of Edison and Thomson We
then took the position that electric
light was the poor mans necessity as
surely as the rich man's-and no luxury
at all. Here at the very entrances OF
coal mines, with slack coal at the pur
chase1's price, with the company's Fay
roll not ca railing that Of one OF the stores
Of Boulder, scarcely more than that tf
each Of two printing establishments,
there seemed TO be no good reason Why
the poor OF Boulder could not enjoy the
same light as the rich. There was no
reason save the inordinate greed OF the
old company. And now its organ whines
lest this petted industry shall be pulled
down, Who came to the rescue of the
Herald when competition started? Who
said that the Herald ard the Camera
were enough papers and ,ha, la:er ones
should be discouraged? WHO fears les,
the dry goods and grocery merchant
shall be torn down because another
comes? Yet this corporation, Surg TO
madn-ss because S. per cent of the
business of Pearl street has been p!edg.
ed to the rev company. whines through
its organ an untun .ful plant ard Ii shes
itself Into the fury OF a war on rates.
So. it seems. the feople are at last 10
come into their own. Tn, rapid firing
me: :ers are 10 be cooled and this monop.
4