Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-08-11
BOARD OF TRADE
PLEADS FOR HARMONY
Adopts Resolution Giving
Moral Support To
Light Go.
Messrs. Allen, Clark and
Hawkins Declare the
Meeting Packed
Opponents VIII Resist Confirmation of
The Action of the Board ut It's Next
Meeting Railway 4 Light
Company Promises To Do.

Whereas, The Americus Railway &
Light Company has proposed to com
plete its power plant and install a
new street lighting system in the city
of Americus without further appeal to
the City Council, provided the moral
support of the Board of Trade is as
Light Company; therefore, be it
Resolved, That this organization de-
plores the fact that the Americus
Railway & Light Company has been
prevented from carrying out the Dod-
son contract, under which contract
The people of Americus would now be
enjoying cheaper water, better lights
and commercial power, as we'll as pos
sessing an electric railway; be it
Further Resolved That this Organi-
zation tenders the said Americus Rail
way & Light Company its moral sup
port in the matter to the end that the
Americus Railway & Light Company
IlSuI the CITY oIIS6JS, pump lllt ClIy
water and operate a street railway.
The above resolution, introduced by
Mr.. Fred Arthur and seconded by
Capt. John Cobb, was passed by vote
Of 16 to IA, after the most strenuous
meeting ever held by the Board of
Trade Not over half of those pres
ent voted, and those opposing it de-
clared the meeting to be packed"
1t was 1920 o'clock when the vote
was taken after a discussion extending
over two hours or more, in which some
gingery speeches were made by
Messrs. Allen and Clarke and Messrs.
Dodson and Walker and others.
An effort to bring the entire mat
ter before the arbitration committee
of the Board failed.
NIessrs. Allen. Clarke, Hawkins,
Shipp and others objected to the
resolutions as an insult to Council
and as beyond the province of the
Board of Trade. They insisted that as
the matter was in the hands of Coun-
ell and the courts the Board of Trade
had no business to Interfere.
President Lanier, Mr.. Crawford
Wheatley. Mr.. A. NJ. Smith, Captain
Cobb and others took a different view
and held that it was nor beyond the
province of Council to conside. mat
ter of vital interest to all citizens.
pieas were made b. them Tor steps
20 bring aloGi harmony and stop the
, injuries which they said were being
inflicted on the city by these dissen-
siOns.
Mr.. Lee Allen promptly resented
this with the statement that the in
jury was being inflicted by those in
terested in trying to force the Dodson
contract on the city and that it was
better to suffer some injury and in
convenience now than to permit the
city to be tied hand and foot for twen-
ty years.
Mr.. Allen insisted that no notice
| had been given, that the meeting was
packed in the interest of the resOlu-
tiOns, and that it did not represent
the actual sentiment of the Board of
Trade. Mr. Walker, in reply, stated
that 85 per cent Of the membership
of the Board had signed the petition
to Council not to put the matter in
| litigation and the Council had ignored
| it.
There were probably twenty present
at the meeting who did not vote at all.
The whole lighting business was
again literally threshed out, pro and
con.
Those voting for the resolutions
held that they did not affect the stu
alton so far as Council or the courts
went but would commit the lighting
company to put in up-tO-date lights
at once.
Those opposed declared the resolu-
tions an affront to Council, insisted
that the whole thing had been hatched
up and sprung without adequate no
tice and that it was an improper use
, of the Board of Trade.
After the meeting it was stated that
/ this did not close the incident, as
those opposed to the resolutions
would object to the confirmation OF
the minutes at the next meeting and
endeavor to expunge the resolutions.
i This means largely attended and
lively meeting then.
The whole debate was precipitated
| by the following letter from the Rail-
way & Light Company. A running ac-
lcount of the debate will be given i'll
! tomorrow's Times Recorder:
Mr.. Frank Lanier, President the Board
of Trade, Americus, Ga.
My Dear Mr.. Lanier-This company
is operating the gas and electric
plants in this city with no city con-
tract other than the so-called 'Dod-
son contract" the legality of which is
now at issue in the courts.
For the benefit of the public and
this body, we wish to state that we
are willing and ready to carry out
all the provisions of the Dodson con-
tract, viz: the lighting of the city
streets, the pumping of the city
water and the building and operating
of a street railway system, providing
the validity of the Dodson contract is
established, or, as final determination
of the questions arising under thaf