The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-10-02

proposition was adopted, it would cut
off any chance of a street railway and
also of cheaper commercial lighting. He
did not believe that arc lights could be
furnished for $26.25 a month. Experts
have told the city that the expense is
$50 a month for good arc lights. If the
city puts in a municipal lighting plant
under the new charter, it can at once
cancel the contract with the local com
pany. If any one opposes the new propo-
sition he does it because he "has it in'
for the old mpan This is a bust
ness proposition. There is no Doodle in
this, and l came here without being ask
ed, and only as a tax payer. For the
good name of the city, let us no longer
light u streets with gasoline, and let
us light the outskirts with electricity as
well as the center of the city.
Mr.. Long said that it would be wise
to put in a municipal plant at once,
without waiting for a new charter. He
was not opposed to a street railway, but
he was for municipal lighting with
street railway or no railway. In the
eastern states the railways have nothing
TO do with lighting the cities.
President Robert Seeger of the Amerl-
can Development company, which is now
lighting the city with gasoline lamps,
said that it is customary to open the
lighting to competition, as was done a
year ago. Some of the lights are not
popular with the citizens, but this IS
not due to the lights, as the service has
been good and the pressure or are lights
have as great candle power as electric
ares anywhere. The largest cities in
the country are using our gasoline
lights. The system is as good and as
modern as anyone can get In the coun-
try. We came here in the winter and put
in our plant in frozen ground at i'm
mense cost. He desired that the light
ing matter be opened up for competition.
Acting in Good Faith.
A. r. Pau Sr. spoke on behalf of the
Mankato Gas and Electric Light com
pany's proposition. He said that the prop
osition was susceptible of being made
legally binding. If the company enters
into Nhe proposition with the city, it can
be made legal and binding, and it is done
in hundreds of cases. 1t would be a per-
fectly legal and legitimate transaction.
Mr.. Long was asking that a municipal
lighting plant be put in, and the local
company agrees to turn over the con-
tract whenever it is ready. Nothing
could be fairer than this. We take no
part between municipal ownership and a
street railway. 1t will be for the city
to say which it will have, when the time
comes. The local company wants the
right to put in and operate a street rail
way. 1t is conceded ON all hands that a
street railway will not pay. Winona
recently gave a lighting contract for
the express purpose of keeping the street
railway in operation. The injunction
against the long term contract secured
by j. III. Collins was secured because of
the enormous bonus asked. Since then
the legislature has passed a law allowing
councils to enter into lighting contracts
up to fifteen years. The company is act
ing in good faith, and if its proposition
is not satisfactory the council can make
it so.
Mr.. Long reiterated what he had said
| about the contract not being such as
can be carried out.
Mr.. Pau said that a bond would be
given, if Mr.. Long would draw it up, that
the contract will be carried out.
Dampener for Municipal Ownership.
M. G. Willard said that Mr.. Longs
| speech was special pleading, as he was
| speaking for municipal ownership and
could see nothing else. He saw no neces-
sity for hurrying in closing the lighting
contract. The Fort Wayne company is
interested in putting machinery into
| Mankato. 1t has done so in some other
| places, and not all of it has proved sat
! isfactory. 1t is ridiculous to put the
cost of operating at so low a figure as all
| the cost should be counted. Munich
| pal ownership looks more rosy before
| it is put in use than it does after
wards. If the municipal lighting people
would take as much interest in a street
railway they would make it a 60. If
we are to have opposition lighting we
| should have such as would do us some
good-affecting the great hody of con-
sumers. A municipal plant would bring
little or no benefit to the city, but with a
street railway one would hardly know
! the city in five years. The merchants are
losing their trade to the smaller tSwns
around us, and will realize this when
hard times come. If the property in the
outskirts is built up 1T means much for
the city. We have been sitting down and
letting moss grow too long. 1t needs
such a stirring up as a street rail
way would give it. He did not think the
| proposition definite enough. All interests
should go over it and make it right.
A letter from M. E. Springer was read,
asking that the awarding of the con-
tract be deferred, as he has a street
car and electric lighting proposition In
der consideration. This letter was not
looked upon as being intended to be
taken seriously.
Geo. M. Palmer said that he considered
the proposition very fair, and if it can
be guarded it should be adopted and
thus get the question out of the way,
and allow us to be ready for other equal
ly important matters.
Hans Jorgenson favored a month to
month contract. He wanted the council
not to go into "any snap trap" If the
council would wait thirty days some
thing would turn up that would make
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