The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-01-25

At the beginning OF the session.
3Councilmen Wood, Lynch, Anderson.
Ernst, Robbins, johnson, McReynolds
and Cork were present and Council
men Lyden and connell arrived later
and took their seats. Mayor Grille
presided and Clerk Cole looked after
the books and papers.
The evenings stream of oratory
was started by a motion by Council
man Johnson that the regular order
OF; business be suspended and that tho
pending electric light and gas fran
chise be taken up and further CON
sidered. This was seconded and car
ried.
3 Mr.. Johnson then took the floor
again and moved that the ordinance
in question be taken up, argued and
voted on section by section, giving op-
portunity to any one Interested to
be heard upon 1t and then voting on
the ordinance as whole. Mayor
Grille thought the people should be
given ample opportunity to be heard
and Mr.. johnson again arose and
suggested that the people make their
statements before the arguments on
the sections and amendments be taken
UP by the council, in order to ia
clllate the proceedings.
Petition Is Presented
At this juncture Attorney Haze
Morgan appeared at the gate and
asked permission to be heard which
was granted. He said thathe repre-
sented about five hundred of the
voters and tax payers OF the city who
objected to the passing OF the fran
chlse ordinance In the form and man
ner in which II was written and that
they had signed petition which he
desired to submit to the council.
Many of the leading citizens of the
city had signed this petition. MIR
Morgan said. and the aggregate val
ie OF the property held by them rep
fesented an amount perhaps one hun
dred times greater than that of the
property held by the corporate inter-
ests represented at the meeting. The
. petition. several yards in length, was
handed to he city clerk and read by
him. the reading of the long list Of
the signers being dispensed with.
Term Too Long.
Mr.. Morgan said that the petition
ers objected to the term of fifty
years provided for by the ordinance.
we think that fifty years is entirety
too long" he said, "and we should
not bind our grandchildren as they
win be better qualified to meet the
conditions Of their time in regard to
the franchise than we are" Twenty
years would be ample.
That part of clause 10 providing
for an increase of rates by the gran
tees at the end of each or any year
by and with the consent Of the city
council was also objected to because
the provision did not give the coun-
ell the privilege of making n re-
duction in the rates and Mr.. Morgan
thought that provision should also
be made for downward sliding scale
as well as an upward in this respect.
Purchase Privilege Unfair
Objection was also made to clause
10 giving the city privilege OF pur-
chasing the grantees plant and prop
erty only at the end of every ten
years. This was indefinite, unreas-
onable and almost impossible to COM
ply with, Mr.. Morgan thought. A
fairer provision for the right of the
city to purchase the company's prop
erty should be made. and at the valde
OF the company's tangible property.
Because OF the city's present indebt-
ednes and the constitutional Hmita-
ton in regard to municipal indebt-
edness, the city would never be able
to buy the electric light and gas
plants. In this respect everything is
advantageous for the company and
nothing for the city. said Mr.. Morgan.
The speaker protested against the
wording Of the ordinance giving the
right to produce gas to the grantees.
The ordnance does not say what kind
OF gas may be produced and this
should be more definitely defined.
Dangers OF Sale.
The ordinance as 1t stands. said Mr..
Morgan, gives the power OF comhin-
alton in restraint OF trade. Nothing
in the ordinance. said he. would pre-
vent the electric light company from
selling out to the ClariSsburg Light &
Heat Company. dumping It's plant in
to the creek and thus giving priv
iiege Of the acquiring company to
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