River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-03-09
Kenosha Would Use Kerosene Lamps.


Declaring that the city of Keno
sha had rather light it's streets
with kerosene than utilize the service
of the Kenosha Gas and Electric COM
pany, Beggs corporation, Assembly
man Scholey, mayor Of that city;
City Attorney Calvin Stuart and 9TH
ers appeared before the senate COM
mittee on corporations to support a
bill introduced by Senator Bishop and
| Assemblyman Scholey, to validate a
franchise for rival company which
the city is ready to grant.
1t is ordinarily the rule of the rail-
road commission to permit monopolies
| in such matters, for purpose Of Sc
curing uniformity of service and
rates, but this case is declared to be
peculiar. A petition of another COM
pany, backed by the city, for GER
tiflcate Of public convenience and
necessity to operate lighting plant
in Kenosha is now pending before the
railroad commission, and the petition
is supported by evidence of alleged
sharp practice on the part Of the
Beggs corporation to prevent the con-
summation Of the plan. Among other
things, it is charged that representa-
tives Of the present company bought
up and caused the suppression of the
official paper Of the city in order to
prevent the necessary publication Of
the franchise ordinance. Then, 1t is
alleged, the company took advantage
of new law granting an extension
Of time in which public utilities
might surrender their old franchises
and take out indeterminate permits,
and by securing a delay in the pub
LEGATION of the ordinance granting
franchise to the rival company, the
Beggs corporation was able to take
out it's permit before the next regu-
lar meeting of the council could be
held to grant the second franchise.
In the meantime, the contract for city
lighting with the Beggs company had
run out.
The last finishing touches were put
to the chloroforming process to which
the reciprocity question has been sub
jected in this legislature when the as
sembly, with practically no debate and
no opportunity for speechmaking, ia
bled the Rupp Dem.) resolution in
dorsing the proposed pact with Cana
da, together with Axel Johnson's
(Rep.) substitute raking President
Taft fore and aft. The vote was "a to
38, and presented a peculiar lineup.
The majority of those voting against
tabling were the Democrats who want
ed to adopt the original resolution,
and the remainder were Republicans
who were anxious to spread all over
the house records their disapprova1 of
the administration of President Taft,
his stand on the tariff and everything
else in the category.
The assembly also had an amusing
little scrap over the Ellingson resolu-
ton which aimed to accomplish the
initiative and referendum by legisla-
tive rule, which Speaker Ingram ruled
out of order az attempting to bind the
future acts Of the legislature. An ap-
peal from this decision of the chair,
the first to come up at this session,
resulted in the speaker being sus-
tanned by vote Of II to 10.
Another amusing situation was pre-
sented when the Linley resolution for
Endorsement of the Sulloway bill in
congress for increased pensions for
Civil war veterans came up. It was
quite plain that a majority of the
house preferred a viva VOce vote az q
large number who secretly were op-
posed to the increase did not dare go
on record against the resolution, and
it finally was adopted when the So
cialists and a few others, by pure
force of numbers had compelled a roll
call, with only II members voting
against 1t.