Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-11

another gas company II the contract we
made thirteen years ago is not valid, 1t Is
high time we should find 1t out. II the con-
tract OF the gas company is good, they have
a right to charge what they are charging
and we have no right to. complain unless
they give us bad measure and bad gas.
Some months ago the promoters of a new
gas company, which had no bottom any
where, came to Omaha and offered TO give
us dollar gas If we would vote them a
ty-three-year franchise, with certain con-
cessions. including, Of course, the right to
dig bitches through our paved streets, to
lay mains and pipes, and ruin our pave
ments generally. The city council very
wisely in my Judgment, declined to enter
tain the proposition. forty-three-year
gas contract at a dollar would have been
an imposition on the people. doubt very
much ten years hence whether Omaha will
be paying IS cents for gas. Under our con-
tract the price of gas will decrease as the
consumption increases. II we are going to
have a city Of 100000 or $50, COCO ten years
hence, We will consume vastly more gas
and secure a corresponding reduction. but
that is not all. The probabilities are that
Oamaha, like Kansas City, will have a pipe
line to the gas fields and to the oil fields OF
Kansas and Wyoming.
Opposes New Franchises.
on new broad gauge lines l am opposed
from now on to voting any new franchises
to any public utility corporation. l have
become convinced that self-preservation
will compel us to acquire all the public
utilities and for that reason no franchises
should be granted to any public service
corporation hereafter. (Applause.) II we
are going to buy out the gas company OF
the water company or the telephone COM
pany, or the street railway company, we
must pay for their plants and the value
OF their franchises in most cases. II we
haye to buy out two companies instead OF
one we will have 10 pay twice as much OF,
in any event. hundreds OF thousands Of dol
lars or even millions more that We would
pay out IL we have onlyNto buy one.
Let me be clearly understood. l want
the public service corporations TO give us
the best service for the least money, and II
We have any constitutional rights or any
charter to regulate them we should do 50.
but we may as well face the music now
as later. Under the peculiar condition OF
things. every public utility corporation is
bound TO own or control the city council
whether you like It or not. They are sub
iect either to raids that are made upon
them by popular clamor OF by holdups by
public officials and they are bound, there
fore. TO ward on these raids by getting
into politics They always have been In
every campaign and so long as they exist
they will continue to be because they are
subject TO regulation.
There Is only one way TO put an end TO
this corrupting and demoralizing influence
and that IA for the city to own its public
utility plants in every case. That has
been the experience of other ciues, and
Il is going TO be our experience, and the
larger We grow the worse the evil will
grow. Periodically there will be a revolt
and for a short time there may be relief.
but only for a short time. The great night