The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-09-28
The Iuterurban Project May Fail.


The fate of the Evansville Madison
electric railway project is now in the
hands of the common council of the city
of GAINESVILLE. While the business inter
ests of the countyseat seem almost unit
in granting Mr.. Clough the franchise
which he desires, some unexpected op
position has arisen in the council which
may in the end defeat the building OF
the line The difference between what
the council desires to pass and Mr..
Clough does not appear so vital to most
people, but there seems to be DISPOSE
ton to attach conditions and embarrass-
ments that will cause a rejection of the
franchise after it's passage, Mr.. Clough,
however, is very frank and outspoken as
to his position in the matter and puts it
squlrely up to the countil to say yes or
no. Here is his statement:
For the purpose of enabling the COM
mon council to come to speedy decision
regarding the application of the James
vile & Madison Railway company tor a
franchise, permit me to say that we will
accept no modification of the freight or
paving clauses other than those indicat-
ed by me and the counsel for the COM
pany at the meeting the other day. l
understand the highway committee has
authorized an attorney to draw pro-
posed franchise embodying its ideas.
This is a needless expense OF time and
money IT the city Of GAINESVILLE does
not want TO grant us the franchise that
we have asked for, with the modifica-
tons indicated, there should be no fur
Their dalliance We will accept no other
franchise"
So there the matter stands. The
whole country between GAINESVILLE and
Madison has a decided interest in the
success or failure of this project. They
have been led to expect that no obstacle
would BIZ thrown in the way of the build
ing of this line and keenly feel the
disappointment if it does not go through.
The GAINESVILLE council is expectek to
take it's final action next Monday even
ing. II it should turn down Mr.. Clough
there is already talk of submitting the
question to a vote of the people of that
city in which event it is believed that
the action of the council would be re-
versed, as the matter is attracting wide
spread attention in that city.
The Case of Bro. Hubbard.
Running a country newspaper and
running for Office at one and the same
time, by one and the same man, are two
things in this wide, wide world which
are not compatible. They don't mix. AS
a modern illustration of this, and a good
one, let us cite the case of Brother Hib-
bard-three times a candidate for a
political office and three times defeated.
Why did ne fail? An analysis of the sit
uation may be of interest. Twice in
nominating conventions he was defeated
by the candidates who affiliated with the
dominating faction in his party, as did
he, so he was not handicapped by hav-
ing allied himself with the minority ele-
ment. In the recent primary he had the
advantage OF closer communion than
his competitor with the crowd who run
republican politics in Dane county, and
still he fell by the wayside. And the
solution is easy: He has tried to say and
do too much through his newspaper for
the very crowd that has led him to the
shambles. He was slaughtered in the
house of his friends.
Brother Hubbard has doubtless discov-
cred what many of US knew years ago
that the man who would succeed in pol
itics should stay out of the newspaper
business, and the man who would sue
coed in the newspaper business should
stay out of politics. There is more COM
fort in running country newspaper, in
dependent of all dictation-poltical or
otherwise, than there is in a dozen petty
county offices. Mr. Hubbard, it would
seem. has learned his lesson, and now if
be will eschew politics and Office hunt
ing and devote his energies to running
his newspaper he will not onl, be hap
pier in this life but will leave behind,
when the inevitable comes, heritage
more honorable and decent and valuable
than all the little worm-eaten plums in
the pol itical orchard Stoughton Hub