The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-09
NEW THING IN
CITY OWNERSHIP
WEBSTER CITY TO HAVE "A NrU-
NICIPAL DAILY PAPER.
Father of the Council' Will Be Edi-
tor-in-C Chief and Other Aldermen
Members of His Staff ~ Purpose Is
to Fight a Franchise Sought by
Chicago Corporation.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal
Webster City, Iowa, July 9.--Web-
ster City is and always has been a mu-
niclpal ownership town.
business enterprise is to be
launched in the city next week, how
ever, which probably has not a coun-
terpart in the Whole United States
It is a municipal daily newspaper, to
be known as the Daily Graphic-Her-
aid, and issued from the present office
of the Weekly Graphic Herald, the
only democratic paper in Hamilton
county.
Webster City began it's career as a
municipal ownership city many years
ago. 1t first acquired possession Of
the waterworks. Next came the cleo
trio light and power plant, then the
city heating plant, and now the pub
fishing of a daily newspaper. With
the exception of the heating plant,
all the municipal ventures Of the city
have proved paying investments and
have materially lowered taxes. The
aim has always been to furnish the
product of a plant to the consumer
as near cost as could be done, and
leave a fair reserve margin.
Why Started.
The venture of the city into the
field Of journalism has been brought
on by red-hot gas campaign. M. E..
Springer, representing the Practical
Gas and Construction company Of
Chicago, Is in the city asking that
citizens vote him franchise to erect
Springer was here last year asking
the same thing. He was beaten be-
cause company Of local capitalists
banded together and offered the city
$4,000 and certain per cent Of the
gross receipts of the plant for the
of
course received the franchise, altho
| at the same time the citizens ex-
pressed themselves in favor Of a mu-
nicipal gas plant to compete with the
private corporation. Mayor F: A.
the state declared the franchise to be
illegal for the reason that no con-
tract or franchise can be granted a
city official under the Iowa statutes.
This decision having defeated the
local private company, Mr.. Springer
has returned to the city to ask the
citizens again to vote him franchise.
There are two dailies here, but neither
is strenuous in it's PRONUNCIATION of the
municipal ownership idea, so the
council purposes next week to launch
a strictly municipal ownership daily.
Alderman J. p. Ristes of the first
ward, the father Of the council is
slated to be the editor-in- chief, and
will have several assistant editors in
the persons Of other councdilmen.
Charges of instantly Fail.
In order to get possession Of his g.
lmonths-old babe, I. H. Moore last
evening preferred charges of insanity
against his wife, Clara Moore, hoping
to get her into the insane asylum and
E thus to secure the child. He
succeeded in putting her in an asylum
in Nebraska some time ago, and sup.
posed that because she had once
been there it would be an easy matter
to have her returned. The effort was
so palpable a farce, however, that the
commissioners of insanity promptly
dismissed the matter, finding Mrs
Moore to be as sane as any one.