Willmar tribune., 1909-09-01
Attack oa 1rus, synpalllzers.


ity the persons opposed to the mu-
nicipal ownership Of the telephone
exchange are knocking the city
owned water and light plant.
Everything about the trust owned
plant is by them lauded to the
skies, even the rates can never be
boosted high enough to suit these
people. But with the municipal
plant everything is wrong and rates
are too high. If the telephone
company boosts its rates these peo-
pie are glad to pay the increase be-
cause a big corporation must not be
expected to get along with meas
ly 12 per cent profit but must be
conceded something like 80 to 40
per cent. But if their electric
light bill should be a trifle higher
one month than another they make
a terrible roar about the manage
ment and sigh for privately owned
plant so that they could have the
feeling that it would do no good to
kick.
One of our friends brot in a copy
of the little dirty sheet published
up on Pacific Avenue in which was
an article charging that the Tribune
was particularly favored by the
establishment of the day current,
in fact charging that it was for our
special benefit that it was estab-
lished. The editor of the Tribune
pleads guilty of having circulated
a petition to have a day current
established, because we thot that
city of this size ought to have such
a convenience. With the hundreds
of household and other small power
electric appliances which save work
now on the market, we thot Will
mar people should have the benefit
of the same. Other people thot so
too and after considering the mat
ter for a long time the authorities
established the current. The Trib-
une had nothing to do with the rate
established, which is uniform to all
power users. If there are only ten
horse power furnished now, as
charged, nine and three-quarters
are being used by other consumers,
for up to this time the Tribune has
used only one-quarter horse power.
We expect to equip all our machines
with motors as soon as we can,
however, and pay whatever rate the
city finds to be a reasonable one,
for the electric power is the ideal
one in every respect. Other peo-
pie will no doubt do the same, and
the city will no doubt in a short
time work up good revenue from
this source. 1t was not expected
that the current could possibly pay
from the start, before people had
chance to install motors and other
electrical contrivances. That the
Tribune has been specially favored
we deny.
Had the electric light plant been
owned by some private party there
would be no kick from this source.
1t is simply because the Tribune
has consistently and increasingly
urged that the city take up and use
the telephone franchise which the
Northwestern has spurned, that it
is made the target for the attacks
and abuse of this kind. We don't
mind it at all, and would not have
noticed this scurrilous attack if our
friend who brot US the same had
not seemed so concerned to have US
do so.
When one public service corpora.
tion, which has no franchise to op.
crate in the city, can hypnotize SC
many leading men and newspapers
to fight it's battles in season and out
Of season, at election time and
otherwise, what would be the con-
dition of affairs if the electric light
and water plant were also owned by
private parties? Municipalizatior
of these public-service utilities
does not force them into politics
in bad sense. but on the other
hand does take them out of poll
tics in its worst sense.