Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-19
DEBATE POWER ORDINANCE
Engineer Rosewa.er and Councilman Has
call Talk to Southwest Imrrovers.
OPPOSITION OF THoNSoN-HoUsTON FOLKS
OF city Council said to he
Controlled by the Local Electric
Lighting Company and Will
ing to DO It's Bidding.

nance WITT a great deal Of fervor.
Mr.. spoke first, banking the
club for its unsolicited approval Of the or
dinanCe and its action recommending that
the ordinance be put before the people to
vote upon. He then launched upon the
terms Of the ordinance and showed wherein
the granting Of the ordinance would be a
material benefit to Omaha as a city and to
the manufacturers and electric current
users. He explained in detail the character
OF the ordinance, the decreased cost Of cleo
trical power from so to 70 per cent less
than that obtaining now, the royalty of l
per cent to be paid the city for the first
five years, 2 per cent the following FIVE
years, and 3 per cent for the year fol-
lowing; the bid for the city lighting OF
more than 80 per cent less than the pres
ent cost, the accepting OF which is OPP
tional with the city, and also the fact that
not one cent was required Of the city in
the granting Of this franchise.
He then told how he had treated with
the Thomson-H Houston people for the
handling Of the project before he lad m
troduccd the ordinance and declared that
they had used his plans and ideas for their
W Advancement and, having learned his
plans, turned to defeat them
what Blocks the Way.
The entire fight against him. he declared.
was directed by this same corporation and
that 1t had not spared the use OF money in
any way to defeat him before the city
council. 1t had deliberately bought control
OF the council, he declared, and is blocking
his moves by every kind of trickery and
deception possible. Councilman White
horn for more than six months has been in
the employ Of the electric company and has
declared himself that he has been forced
to act exceedingly carefully in this matter
owing to the fact that his bread and but
ter depended upon his manner Of voting,
according to Mr.. Rosewater. AS for Coun-
Gilman Mount, he said, that two years ago
he made specific charges against him and
made them under oath, offering, at the
time, to meet with a committee from the
council TO give proof Of his charges. A
committee was appointed to investigate
the charges, but he was never called upon
to appear before the committee as It did
not dare to investigate them. Mr.. Mount
has been treated with by the Thomson
Houston company during the six months
this ordinance has been under discussion
by the council. iIr. Rosewater said he
would say nothing about Councilman Hoye,
as he was not present to speak for himself.
but that Mr.. Hoye had declared after the
meeting Of the council, which was attended
by representative taxpayers of Omaha, that
he was not with Hascali any No.. but had
again veered about.
Basis of d Petition,
How the Thomson = Houston peoplo.
through a BIT of juggling, had managed to
obtain nominal support from the Real
Estate exchange, the Commercial. club and
the Central Labor union without the con-
sent OF a majority of their members, was
explained by Mr.. Rosewater. Through the
employment Of some twenty men, hired for
the purpose, they had even presented a
petition TO the council asking that the
open door amendment be put to a vote OF
the people. This amendment contained
nifty names more than that Mr.. Rosewater
hGd presented to that body, but few OF the
names were those Of taxpayers or Of people
Of prominence and known business stand
ing.
Mr.. Rosewater declared that what he
desired was that the original ordinance be
placed before the people and that they be
allowed TO decide for themselves whether
they desired this or not. The council, he
declared, has no right to say to the people
that this was not good for them without
listening to their desires. 1t was the right
Of the Omaha laborer and taxpayer TO say
whether they desired to give other electric
power companies the right to operate in
Omaha or not. They had asked that it be
put to their vote and It should be. No
other company was hindered from coming
into Omaha later by this ordinance and he
wanted the people % say whether his pro-
ject should be given an opportunity or
not.
HnscalI I'm the Defense.
Councilman Hascall denied the state
ments made against the integrity of the
council in general, although he declined to
take any stand in the charges that were
made against Mr.. Mount and absolutely
ignored what had been said about Mr..
Whitehorn's connection with the Thomson
Houston company. The open door ordi-
nance, he said, was that which he favored,
as it gave no one any privileges over any
other party and all were free to come into
the city under the same terms.
Mr.. Rosewater at this point rose to deny
that his ordinance as drawn up would
deter others from bringing power into the
city under like conditions as would be
granted TO him.
Councilman Hascall then continued in a
general way and in the course OF his re-
marks touched upon the ''old, false theory
that the sun is a ball Of fire. 1T is more
than probable he said, that people live
there and what some people take for FIRE is
merely the succession Of electrical sparks
flashing over the sun" He neglected to
state whether these were the products OF
the Houston company or Of a
power canal.
"No heat comes from the sum- he de-
clared. THE electrical flashes cause light,
which comes to us, and as the rays OF light
pass through the air there is friction, and
that causes the heat which we have heard
comes from the sun. On damp days the
friction is greater, and, therefore, the day
is hotter"
Some Club Matters.
The committees appointed by the club
reported that some new crosswalks were
being placed on Mason street and tina II
was reported at the city engineers once
that work on sidewalks and crossings is
being pushed forward as rapidly as possible.
The electric light company is placing poles
THIS BLUE