The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-03-03
THE SOUTHERN POWER COMPANY
A "Looker On" Urges Granting a
Franchise to the Southern Pow.
er Co. As it Appears to Him.

watch the passing show. Many flash
lights and side lights are thrown upon
the curtain; and many varying scenes
are shown. / have no personal inter-
est whether either one way or the
other in the show, but just to watch
the good and i'll effects it has upon
the passers by and public in general.
To a locker On the actions of the
city council in its objections to the
Southern Power company entering the
city seems over cautious, futile, and a
backward step, in the great march of
progress. While they may not have
actually objected, yet as member of
the power company puts it, "You give
us permission to come in, yet make
conditions that render it impossible !"
That is the OLD story of the boys per-
mission to fish, with the restriction
mot to go near the water" 1t is an
old, old axiom, that revolutions never
go backward" and that History re-
peats ITSELF" This is true The city
council may retard and delay the COM
ing Of this great public utility, but
never stop it.
The same objections to Something
new is as old as recorded history.
The world is full of easy going and
sceptical souls, who abhor a change,
as nature does a vacuum When
electricity was first spoken of as light
for city and private homes, it was
bitterly fought, by "intersts" and
those who wanted well enough let
alone, and what was good enough
for our fathers is good enough for u.s."
And yet almost every town and city
in Christendonl is lighted by elec-
tricity.
Steam, when first agitated in Eng
land, as a road motor, was strenuous
ly objected to, by the conservative
element And so in this country
When resolution was up in the Mas
sachusetts legislature looking towards
building railroad frcm Boston to
the Connecticut river, it was declared
On the floor of the house, pass this
resolution and the public credit will
be overthrown and every dollars
worth of property in the common
wealth would be in jeopardy"
When the Old Colony road was pro-
jected, the cities of Quincy and Dor
chester, through which the road was
proposed to be buildt, almost read the
riot act, public meetings were held,
and delegations sent to the legisla-
ture, praying that NO railroad should
run through their towns, giving as
reasons, that 1T would be q great
calamity to their towns, injure the
farming interests, change the price of
oats, and break up Mr.. Gillett's hack
business" Mr.. GMlett ran a stage
coach, carrying siv passengers daily
to Boston. Well, the towns got their
wish, for the roads kept away from
them many years, but the hack busi-
ness was, as they expected, broken
up, and land along the railroad rose
from SIS per acre to $4,000. Might
not our town council see some analogy
in the two cases that the coming OF
this new industry may "break up our
own lighting plant?"
Why should the council be so suspi-
cious and cautious Of the powers of
this great company? The legislatures
of every State, as we'll as congress,
have taken care to curb and control
these great public monopolies, and
they are under the supervision of the
commission of public corporations.
lie COUl ID, wv, +lC al W e"s0 lCSoOy ~
lay hand upon these powers of or
ganized wealth. This great hue and
cry against the "grasping corpora
tions," like the universal charge Of
"bribery and corruption il official
life' is all more imaginary than real.
The gentlemen behind the Southern
Power company, the Dukes, are the
head of a S4O0,0OO,000 tobacco trust,
the second largest organization of its
kind in the world, and with its ally IN
England controls every pound Of to-
bacco and its subsidiary industries, in
the world. Not a pound is manufac-
tured or sold but must be priced by
this company and sold at they direct.
Could they not arbitrarily raise the
price Of tobacco so per cent, and rea-
lie millions upon millions almost il
{, day. Yet tobacco is as cheap now
or perhaps cheaper, than in so years.
The much abused Standard Oil COM
nany that owns the output Of all thC