Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-08-10
INTERURBAN

cOr the present the people as Wen a.
members Of the city council are con-
fused as to who is who In the interur-
ban-gas franchise deal. One set Of men
who are known to have been at1work
for nearly year obtaining right-of-
way for an interurban, and who are
openly seeking franchises in other cit
les along a proposed line, are asking
Of Marshalltown franchise giving
them the right to sell gas at 81 and to
sell electric lights and power at re-
duced rates They state that they can
buy the Jones & Hovey plant at Jones
& Hovey's price and will either pur-
| chase it or build their own plant. but
acknowledge that there is some differ
ence between them and Jones & Hovey
as to terms.
For some reason the mayor and his
friends are violently opposed to these
men, even tho the rates offered seem 20
comply with q reasonable demand.
| Now. at the showdown, when a fran
chise ordinance must be voted up or
down, a new man appears. He says
! that he has actually contracted to buy
Jones & Hovey, he says that he will
give cheaper rates but the mayor re-
| fuses to tell either the council or the
Times-Republican how cheap. The
mayor says that this Mr.. Darling viii
guarantee to build an interurban 10
Grundy Center, but nobody ever heard
OF him even investigating the feasabl-
ity Of this route and he naively pro-
| poses in his franchise to lease track
rights to any other interurban which
may want to come in.
| So the suspicion has become very
general that this new promoter may
have been injected at this time by the
mayors friends and Jones & Hoyey to
block franchise that might permit the
| Mcbride interurban crowd from selling
electric lights and power as a competi-
tor, or by blocking their franchise, force
them to come to Jones & Hovey's
terms. When Pratt came to town he
asked for a franchise at very high
rates. He had some kind of deal with
Jones & Hovey whereby the full
amount of their equity was to be paid
for in stock in a new company. It has
since been explained by those on the
inside that this stock was to be put up
as collateral Only, but in any event he
was practically Jones & Hovey in
Pratt's clothing and when his deal fall
ed Mr.. Jones himself was the first man
to follow the Times-Republican editor
out to his home to complain about it.
Pratt had the support of the mayor
and his friends at $l.25 gas. Now, If
Jones & Hovey and the mayors crowd
are acting together again thru this Mr..
Darling the $4,000 forfeiture becomes
| a farce. 1t has been put up as part
lS,f fn IN n
Hovey if the alleged purchaser fails to
perform on his contract to buy, The
| city gets none of it In any event, and it
Darling is Jones s. Hovey in disguise
these sly old foxes would be getting
back their own money on the for
feiture. .sg;as
However. we can't condemn Darling
or anyone else without 81 hearing. Let
him come ont In the open with his
rates and his guarantees. Let the coun-
lcilmen look him UP. If he is a man Of
good business record and offers better
terms to- the people let him have a
franchise, but make each utility stand
alone separate from the others, gas
separate from electric power, ETC., and
make him perform on each within one
year Or iet 1t sspiro. I'm NO evSsst give
| 1llIn a. lfdHEHiSb WtltSQt 'WOAlQ AaoI N@1}s
lingly be voted to .JonaS e. Hovey direct
or which he can hold long against all
Corners. s
| On the other hand if the Mcbride
crowd. known to be at work In the
interurban business, offer better terms
in the matter Of rates, give them right
to do business in Narshaltown. 1t
matters nothing to sAa public wheth-
er they buy Jones;& Avey's old worn
out plant or build new one. The peo-
pie Of Marshalltown, thru their coun-
Gil and mayor, ought not to be party
to any game to hold up the new Corners
in the interest of Jones & Hoveys dong
price, nor to freeze them out as COM
petitors. Let's compare the rates and
the men in the open. Then let's vote a
franchise to Jones & Hovey, or to any
one else provided the rates are right,
the service Improved and extended and
provided the promoters are acting in
good faith without the sole object OF
blocking somebody else.