The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-11
lust Control Edison to Insure
- Current for Itself.
no CERTAIN POWER.
Talks FeeIingIy of Their Effotrs
and Expenditures Here
And of Brady to Control All
Light and Freeze Them Out.

ssaAASub anu freeze ln0m UuGs
HE has delivered me to Mr.. Brady
and is now trying to deliver the city OF
Topeka pertinent statement made by
l. E. Myers, vice president of the Street
Railway company with reference to c..
*. Holiday and his Introduction of the
Consumers franchise ordinance. Its a
desperate situation for u.s." said Mr..
Myers this morning. Here we have
q street railway 80 miles long without
q power house. Charley Holiday VIC
lated my confidence. had every reason
TO believe that Mr.. Holiday would keep
his faith with me. He was one of the
CLOSE friends I had here in Topeka.
When was here my wife and I dined
at his house. We went out together
and I felt that had no more intimate
friend in Topeka than Charley Holli-
day. Yet he goes. to work and betrays
my. confidence. That is what hurts.
When We were discussing this matter
of purchasing the Edison plant up at
Chicago two weeks ago we said, How
shall we approach the council on this
proposition? I said, I'll see Charley
Holiday. So teIegraphed Holiday and
had him come I'D to Chicago at the
company's expense.
ssWhen 1 met Mr.. Holiday I said L
want to talk over the electric situation
with you. Is there any reason why we
cannot consider it?' None at ALL said
Holiday. He pledged me by everything
that was sacred that he would not be-
tray my trust. I then told him that we
were negotiating for the purchase OF
the Edison plant and 1 said is there
any reason why it cannot go through?
None whatever he said, III help you
all ] can
sand then he telegraphs or writes to
N4r. Brady. Mr.. Brady writes to Mr..
Wilder and says something like this,
why didn't you give me the first
CHANGER Mr.. Sunny was shown the let
ter by Mr.. Wilder and he says to me af-
rewards, Charley Holiday broke faith
with you. He has violated your conf
dence.' could hardly believe it.
Charley Holiday break his word
with me? Why I felt that I had no
more intimate friend than Holiday.
Everything else is dwarfed in compari-
son with my disappointment in the
man. believed his word. Look at the
position it puts me in. Here / stand,
have made a mistake in my man. He
had given me his word. Not a word
did he say of his franchise that he now
says he had had locked up in his desk
for the past two months. No, not a
word. Holiday talks about a $4,000
club. That's a fine sort of patriotism
that brings in gas here at As cents a
more than 25 cents and at the same
time says that the fields of the Kansas
Natural Gas company are four times
greater than those of Pennsylvania
where they charged to begin with from
g to 10 cents a thousand. That sounds
like patriotism, doesn't it?
1--WE have got our all in here. We
want to make it pay out. Why we've
got a floating debt of $96 900 on this
street railway system and it will take
years to pay it off We have to have
apower house. We are like tail with
out body if we don't get it. That's
the reason we wanted to buy a control
p ling interest in the Edison company.
We wanted to control enough stock to
guarantee source of power. Our con-
tract expires next May. So we have
been negotiating to purchase majority
of the stock. Mr.. Wilder wanted to
see us get control as well as Mr.. Null
yape and some others. We had rrac-
tleally agreed on price. Mr. Brady
writes to Mr.. Wilder but Mr.. Wilder
says, or something like it, It's too late
Why can't Brady leave US alone2 He
has enough. He owns the electric light
plants and the gas plants of New York
and Brooklyn. and other cities. He is
worth s30,000,000 Why can't he leave
US alone out here in Topeka. But no.
he wants to come in and frighten out
the capital which we have interested in
this plant. And then when he has done
that he steps in, buys the Edison plant,
and when May comes he snaps his fin
gers and refuses to prOlong our contract
for power.
st+tThere we are a street railway with
out power. He then buys us up.
s'FrankIy, I say that he then have
my interests for 50 cents on the dollar of
what they cost me if he gets his fran
elaise. But I am going on with this prop
es1f1on even If 1t ruins me. We are going
70 buy control in that plant. I know Mr.
T3rady's methods. He'll cut competition SO
close on Kansas avenue and the downtown
business streets that we can't live and
give us the Improbable outlying districts
I'VE can't fix up our old power plant
It's out of date and behind the times. II
is filled with old machinery. We would be
plant. I have criticised the present man
aEement of the plant because they have
failed to furnish an all day current in the
eut1ying districts These circuits should
Of the very first things that we expect tc
do when we take possession.
HOur position IS that the Edison com
pany is entitled to a fair franchise. Give
as an opportunity to work this thing our
IA connection with the street railway anC
secure a permanent source of supply Of
power.
1--WE have been talking of this thing fol
TIE past two years. But we were broke
then and we could not think of buying it
Two weeks ago talked to Charley Hof1i
day about this and about a week or ter
days ago Mr.. Sunny and Mr.. Wilson O
the company brought some bankers from
Chicago to this city to look over the plan
and the street railway SO that they coulC
Judge the kind of property on which W.
wanted to borrow money. Now it hal
come to this. tell you are in des
perate situation; we don't know which
way to turn"