The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-12-10
G O N TIN u E D
r O
P A G f. O N F.
HOW GAS

Electric company when its fran
chise was about to expire.
When the city came to renew
the company demanded extortion-
ate rates. The city officials
didn't fight very hard, but the peo-
pie were angry. A new twenty
year franchise was drawn up and
with a great flourish it was said
that this was to be submitted to
the people" for popular vote.
Then the lawyers and the courts
got busy. First it was arranged
that anly taxpayers" could vote
at this election. and second the
court held that the mere posses
sion of tax receipt should be
final proof of right to vote.
In the edge of Denver were acres
of sandlots. The treasurer was
sick and not in his office. The
public records-the tax books Of
the people-were carted to the Of
fices of the gas company.
Lists of names were drawn up.
The grating police furnished the
names of the women of the tender
loin and their male parasites. The
employees of the gas company,
who were active in church work,
furnished the voters of the bible
class.
GRABBED A FRANCHISE.
So the lists were turned in and
thousands of tax receipts were out
for amounts ranging from 6 to As
cents, and on election day from the
slNms and innocent fireside the
mysterious hidden power of the
gas company marshaled the votes
that overruled the bona fide tax
payers of Denver and saddled them
with robbers rates for twenty
years.
An attempt was made to enjoin
the swindle. Judge Lindsey called
Doherty before him. Doherty re-
fused to answer questions, and for
three days he was in Jail for con-
tempt. Then, as usual, ColOrado's
unspeakable supreme court reached
down and opened the prison door,
ruling that frauds in franchise
elections did not fall under the
regular election laws and could not
be judicially investigated.
GAVE THE MAYOR MONEY.
Frank w. Freuauff, Doherty's
first lieutenant, lost his notebook
showing how thousands of dollars
had been paid to candidates of both
party tickets and to political lead
ers and ward heelers of both par
ties.
HOW THIS HITS SPOKANE.
A year from next May the city
council of Spokane will be called
upon to pass an ordinance regulat-
ing gas rates for this same aggre-
cation that fleeced Denver. From
the experience of our Colorado
neighbor Spokane should draw
profitable lesson. There are city
officials of Spokane today who
helped to pass the gas franchise
under which Doherty is selling
$4,000 of Spokane gas bonds in
New York, who were told that the
said franchise was for the purpose
of foisting watered stock and bonds
on an unsuspecting public. Some
of these men will be the candi-
dates for office again at the next
city election, and II successful will
pass the ordinance that will con-
troll gas prices in this city for an
other 10 years. For thsi reason II
is well for the people to take this
subject to heart in time.
The Roger Williams Spokane gas
franchise, under which Doherty
has issued stock and bonds to the
extent Of $780, 900, was passed
over the veto Of Mayor L. r. Boyd
on June IA, 1904, by the following
vote: Aye-Leonard Funk, Geo.
3. koontx. Fred e. Baldwin, John
Gray, Arthur B. 5aines, J. T. Sny-
der, N. 9. Pratt, Fred Pearson.
No--Llndsiey.