Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-03-17
A CALM APPEAL TO COOL REASON
To the Citizens of Americus;-

TO the Citizens of Americus:-
The question before the voters of
Americas at this time is a business
proposition. 1t is not a question in
which passion or personal animosity
or personal ambition should enter. 1t
is, above all things, a question in
which political planning for personal
ends should not play controlling
part.
Each and every voter should divest
himself of these false considerations
that have been improperly injected in
to the campaign. They have no place
in it. The mind of every voter should
be Invested of them and should analyze
the question purely on its merits as a
business proposition, for a business
proposition it is, pure and simple.
The question before you. as citizen
and voter, is this:
v
cipal electric lighting plant in the City
of Americas? Is there any real iusti-
fication outside of that existing in the
overheated Imagination of few pol
iticians, for the city to sell $4,000 of
bonds, the very last bonds it can leg
ally issue, and invest the proceeds in
an electric plant.
Much has been said about numerous
municipal lighting plants scattered
over the South. The fact has been
suppressed. though, that these plants
We're not started in cities already hav-
ing private plants meeting the public
needs, that these municipal plants
were not put in to fight already ex-
listing plants. AS matter of fact the
vast mass of municipal lighting plants
in the South were built in towns hav-
They were built to meet an existing
need for such plant. In vast ma
| jority of these towns having municipal
electric lighting plants there are NJ
gas works The majority of them are
too small to permit of the presence o.
a gas and an electric plant In many
towns of larger size the municipal
ity, owning the electric lighting plant
has deliberately refused to either pu
in gas works or to give franchise t.
private parties. This has been done
because it was feared, or realized, tha
a gas plant would make the city in
vestment in an electric plant unprof
liable. To make the municipal cleo
trio plant pay, the public has been de
MED the advantage of gas service.
This cannot be denied. 1t is abso
lutely the truth Take our sister cit,
of Albany, Ga 1t has been refused
the privilege of gas for many years
Only in the last few months did tn,
city respond to the demands of tn,
people and provide for gas.
Americas has had gas and cleo
tricity together for twenty-five years
1t had them when it was a town o
five thousand or less people. The cit,
government could not, or would not
put them in. Private capital was in
vited, urged, encouraged to put then
in. The investment by private capita
| in a gas works and in an electric
lighting plant was welcomed as
great progressive step forward Pri
waite capital was welcomed and hon
ored
AS result of these investments O.
private capital the people of Ameri
Gus have enjoyed the benefits of {
double service-gas and electricity
while many other towns have beer
furnished electricity alone and denied
gas. This is an indisputable fact.
Americas has today a gas plant ad
equate in every respect for it's full
needs. for the needs of city very
much larger. This is not disputed by
the advocates of a municipal lightine
plant.
Americas today has an electric
lighting plant equal to the needs of ?
city twice its size. The advocates OF
a municipal lighting plant cannot de.
ny this. The very man they brought
here from Atlanta told them it was ,
good plant, fully adequate for al
needs. AS a matter of fact it car
generate sufficient to meet the needs
of twenty thousand people.
1t is not claimed by the advocate,
of a municipal lighting plant that
with the money realized from the is
sue of $4,000 bonds they can put up d
plant equal to the new plant now
here, and provide the outside service
1t can be shown by competent, un
biased experts, not parties seeking to
sell the city plant, that this is the
truth. The city merely intends tc
provide you, the public, out of your
own bond money, with a plant and
general service inferior to that yOn
already have.
On what grounds is this to be done
Why is it proposed, when Americas
already has an electric plant adequate
for a town of 10000 or more people, Il
| plant representing private capital, to