The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-04
A WARM Time.
Councilman Hughes ROundiy
Scores Gas Company.
Tells of Suffering of Sick and
Children From Cold.
ACTION is DEFERRED.
Council Decides Not to AnnuI
Franchise at Present
During Midwinter Referring In
vestigation to Judiciary Com.

| into the gas company with free and
unrestrained vigor, changed it's mind
by venting its emotions in heated lang
uage and then calmly referred the
| matter of annulling the franchise of the
Consumers Heat, Light & Power COM
| pany to the judiciary committee and
| the city attorney.
! Councilman J. W. f. Hughes led a
! furious assault upon the ramparts of
| the gas company urging immediate ac-
! ton on his resolution to take away the
| franchise Of the gas company without
waiting to refer the matter to a COM
mittee but he could only marshal three
| followers. On the final vote to refer
the roll call showed-Ayes: Councilmen
Horn, Hughes, Montgomery and Tandy;
noes: Councilmen Blakely, Holiday,
| Van Ness, Jordan, Howard Stanley
Lannan and Kutz. For over two hours
rapid fire of oratory rained upon the
125 people who were present in the
| council chamber.
| The advice of F. G. Dreaming the
| city attorney, who told the council that
he did not believe there was anything
! to be gained by plunging into a law
suit Immediately, probably had con-
! siderable to do with the action of the
| council.
IF you take this action tonight"
! said the city attorney, lit would be al
most barren of results. There are too
many far reaching questions of law
| involved in this to get at them right
off Of the handle 1t would take about
four or five years to secure a forfeit
ture of this franchise even If you did
| start right in now. 1t would take four
| or five years before you could get any
| where. It's a waste of time to sit here
and talk. I will give you my legal
opinion on the forfeiture If you refer it
to me and ask for an opinion
When Councilman Hughes introduce
ed his resolution, Councilman Kutz
moved to refer it to the committee on
judiciary along with the city attorney.
Councilman Hughes then rose up and
started in on a defense of his resolu-
ton during which he was frequently
cheered and applauded by the audience.
This isn't time of referring it to the
city attorney or to a committee" said
he. I'm December the council sent
committee down to Scipio and they
came back not knowing much more
than when they went down except that
the Consumers Gas company state
ments were entirely false. They told
we would have gas by Christmas
and the committee came back and said
we wouldn't have it until the first of
February. If you refer that resolution
to the judiciary committee you will not
know any more than you do now. We
have put up with lot of jerk water
stations and other lot of tomfoolery
and We are not any nearer getting
gas.
THE company has violated the con-
tract with the city on five different
counts and 1t behooves every council
man to stand up now and see that this
franchise is annulled and better one
for the city is granted. The whole
trouble is caused by a picayunish
policy which the present management
is following. Down on the street that
1 live on there is four inch main
with over fifty people drawing gas out
of the four inch main. Tell me those
pipes are large enough! The trouble
lies in the mains; they are not large
enough.
"Mr. Diehlman, the former manager
of this company told me that num-
Der of these mains would have to be
enough, while the present manager
says that there is not a better piped
city than Topeka. Who's right?
Il tell you it's criminal. There are
children, babes and sick people who
suffered with this cold, who had no
other heat and who froze. Does the
gas company have any consideration
with you when it comes to paying your
gas bill? What do they do? They
give you ten days in which to pay your
bill and If you don't pay it then you
have to pay a penalty. If you fail to
pay it then they serve notice on you
and cut you off. They have no oon-
sideration for you, they don't care
about you. They are only after the
almighty dollar
Councilman Hughes then read all
advertisement of the gas company in
one of the newspapers in which ii
urged the use of natural gas. He term
ed 1t a piece of monumental gall,@ il,
the face of the existing circums tances.
G. P. Bolmar, one of the audience,
as Councilman Hughes finished. stated
that he wanted to back up what the
councilman said and then stated some
personal transactions which had oc-
CURED between himself and the man.
ager OF the gas company. in the courss
of which he charged the manager with
having stated an untruth and being a
menace to the commu unity.
Later L. G. Treleaven, the manager,
stated that Mr.. Bolmar had uttered an
untruth. Mr. Bolmar retorted in kind
Mayor Green raped thunderously
With the gavel in order to bring Mr..
Bolmar to time and finally reprimand-
ed him. Mr.. Bolmar apologized to the
council but refused to extend the
| apology to Mr.. Treleaven.
w. H. Rossington, attorney for the
gas company, exhibited a Telegram,
which he had received from Mr.. Nc
Dowell, one of the officers of the Kan
sas Natural Gas company in which It
was stated that the whole trouble Law
with the new machinery al the Scipfo
pumping station which was not work
ing smoothly.
THE interests of the company. its
welfare. Is wrapped up in the content
ment of its customers" said Rossine-
ton You are mistaken. gentlemen
If you think the company has any
vengeance to wreak on the community.
It stands to reason it could not be SO.
me company has at least 100 flowing
wells; they are using from less than
half OF those wells, SO that there is
plenty of gas
Il was talking with Mr. Mari the
chief counsel for the gas COMPANY al
Chicago over the long distance tele-
phone today and ne said that they
We're almost wild in their efforts to get
at these people. the Kansas Natural
people Do you think that we are so
much to blame then for these con-