Bisbee daily review., 1905-09-17
THAT DOUBLES
 GAS FRANCHISE
 MISUNDERSTANDING
MT. Brown Gives Reason for
 Check Withdrawal

The action of Mir Titcomb. whC seeks a franchise for a gas plant il Douglas, has not ceased to be dis cussed on the street, and one can gel about any kind of an opinion ont wants. At the same time, there ap pears to be considerable feeline against the mining tool man on ac count of his unexplained and inexpli cable action.
 J. l.. Brown, the local representa- tive of MT Titcomb, and who was the originator of the franchise so far as Douglas is concerned, said today that he did not yet understand the full req son for the action taken at Nogales when the check was presented, but hoped to have a letter today
 At the same time" he added, ''l cannot see wherein the action will effect the franchise, now that the city has got the money. However, I may say that if two franchises are voted through MT. Titcomb will forfeit the money in question as the cheapest way out of bad proposition.
 When we asked for a franchise we thought that the best proposition would win, and that there would be but one franchise granted. Now thG. it appears there are to be possibly two franchises, we feel that the city is not large enough for both and conse- quently if the other is granted our plant will not be built
 You can say for me that several times an effort has been made to get MT. Titcomb out of the race for the franchise, either by purchase or by consolidation. A certain party of men here have offered him s5000 for his interest in a possible franchise, and a number of times offers of consolidation have been made. This effort was car ried so far as to take Douglas man to Noglaes to make tn proposition in per son, but Mir Titcomb has refused every offer
 If the franchise is voted to MT. Tit comb and not to the other parties, we will erect a plant, furnish high test gas at S1.50 Der thousand, give the city 21a per cent of the gross receipts and then make money This thing has been all figured out and we know that there is plenty of profit in that price for the company, and it certainly is cheap enough for the people and the city has a better proposition than it will prob ably get again.
 If, however, the franchise is denied us, it will be all right, but we will not erect a plant and try to compete with a rival company in town of this size"
 City Attorney Lockwood returned yesterday from Nogales, where he went to investigate the repleving of the Titcomb forfeit chck, and said to- day:
 T don't know whther MT. Titcomb is out of the race for the franchise. I merely filed a bond for redelivery of the check, and the sheriff had to turn the paper over to the Bank of Sonora. Then it was taken to the First National~Bank and cashed, and the money is now in the Bank of So- nora to the credit of the city O. Doug las. Therefore, the city may be said to be in possession of the money, which it wi4 retain until the outcome of the franchise election is known. Then, if MT. Titcomb and his friends are granted a franchise and keep to the letter thereof the money will be returned, otherwise it will revert to the city. If the franchise is defeated it will be returned to MT Titcomb as once"