The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-05-08
Decision Reached Yesterday
to Revoke the Indefinite
Grant Made by This County
to R0bt. AShe.
PROTECTION FOR ALL
CONSUMERS DESIRED
Board Desires to Guarantee
Public From Excessive
Rates, Long Term Feature
and Discrimination.

The board Of county commissioners
yesterday afternoon revoked the fran
chise of Robert Ashe to use practically
all the highways of Wayne county for
"any and alr' purposes of purveyinx
electricity for all its various and sew
eral uses" The action of the board OF
commissioners was due. they stated. to
in the case and to secure full protec-
tion for the country districts before
granting a franchise. Their original
action had been based on their wish
to make it possible for the whole
county to obtain the use OF electric
light. They further stated that ON the
advice of their attorney 1t was neces-
sary to rescind the franchise In case
they wanted to amend Il before It be.
came binding by the beginning of oper.
atfons or the incurring of liability by
the grantee. Mr.. Ashe
Previous to this decision. the board
held a hearing for . petition presented
by the committee from the bureau OF
municipal research and a committee OF
the Y. NJ. B. c.. which stated the OBJ
jections to the franchise In q general
manner and asked that the board re-
woke the franchise In order that the
matter might be considered afresh.
There followed discussion OF the
franchise in which the principal part
was taken by Byram Robbins and sby'
Wilfred Jessup
The diScusslon was opened ~ Mr..
cipal research. who advised the board
OF the law In the case a. he had found
1t there being but one way In which
the board could reconsider the case
and that In revocation. He further
added that as q private citizen he felt
that a stricter franchise with more
safeguards would be better.
Robbins speaks.
Byram Robbins OF the Y. NJ. b. c.:
followed this up by stating that the
franchise as granted was . mere
naked grant. license and not u
contract. because there was no con-.
sideration-in other words Ashe prom.
ised absolutely nothing to the people
of the county on paper and that he
didn't have to do . single thing In
return for the franchise granted. That
the board, he was sure. had acted only
with the desire In their minds OF sap
plying modern conveniences TO che
whole county, but that this was not
a parallel case to the other franchises
which had been granted and that the
board of commissioners. he thought.
would more nearly attain their original
object by putting things back to their
former position. Robbins said It was
necessary to revoke the franchise BE-.
fore any liability was incurred.
Byram Robbins was followed By the
other representatives Of the committee
who went into the terms Of the fran
1 chise
| Petis Reid, w. D. F0ulke. Carl
Bernhardt. N. C. Heironfmous and
Rudolph Leeds attended 1t the hear-
ing.
| Mr.. Beeson. speaking for the hoard
! OF county commissioners. then stated
that they had thought this = very simt
lar franchise to the one granted to
enable Mr. Ashe to supply the town
of Liberty and that the commissioner
were willing to do anything they could
to help the whole county and that, Il
seemed the best thing to do to revoke
the franchise and begin over. for they
wanted everyone satisfied.
Like Red 70 oull.
Any change In the franchise VA