The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-12-03
TALK MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.

The meeting at the city hall on Fri
his assistant, Mr.. Corlette, in the man
agement of the electric light plant at
Ames, was attended by large crowd
and we believe was Thoroughly en-
joyed by all present. 1t is al
ways a pleasure for one seeking in
formation on any subject to listen to
a speaker who is on familiar terms
with his subject and capable of pre-
senting his points in way to make
them easily understood by his hearers.
Mayor Sheldon, while not an orator,
is such a speaker. His mission to
Denison was not to attempt to make
an argument on the question of NUM-
cipal ownership. It was simply talk
about the success of the Electric Light
Plant at Ames which is operated by
the City and to point out the advan-
tages and splendid results of the one
plant with which he has been connect
ed and which apparently lies close to
his heart by long association with its
control and management. He was not
here to minify its good points or mag
Nifty its poor points but, as was to be
expected, he represented it in as fav-
orable light as he could consistent
ly.
1t is the pride of this man that he
has lived to see the dream Of his life
realized and the highest success at
tainable come to the public work of
which he has been the responsible
head for some twenty years or more.
And he has not always had smooth
sailing and no discOuragements; it
was stated by himself that other men,
prompted by selfishness or malice or
both, attempted to bring his work
into disrepute and to take over the
plant reared by his genius and energy,
and place it under private ownership.
But those who would have Inundated
In and, in all probability, have de-
prived the people of Ames of the ben
eft which have come to them were in
the end doomed to disappointment
and chagrin.
Ames has good electric light plant
and one OF the very best in the whole
country, but we believe due in large
measure to the genius of this one man,
as Mr. Corlette stated at the meeting.
In addition to this superb control the
natural advantages are with Ames and
they are, in large measure, account
able for the successful results.
The important question is Can it
be expected that other places under
dissimilar conditions and less favor
able than those of Ames attain the
success of the plant at Ames?' Has
Denison, for example, Farley Shell
don, who will for twenty years show
his patriotism and devotion to the
plant as well as the ability to make it
a success? If we have such man
then Ames would hive no advantage
over Denison. Have we the fuel at
our door to be appropriated practic-
a..y without expense in transporta-
ton for operating the plant? The
freight charges for delivering coal at
Ames was said by the speaker to be
less than fifty cents per ton. If we
could get coal delivered in Denison
as cheaply as they can at Ames then
we would be on par with Ames in
the expense of transportation. If we
have the man with the genius of Par
ley Sheldon and the coal delivered
as cheaply as Ames then have we the
population? We have 1921 inhabi
tants while Ames has 1900 and in ad-
dition Ames has a student population
of $500 a. of whom, except about 500,
it is said, are furnished light by the
Ames plant. This means population
Tor Ames of about 5000 and student
population can be depended upon to
use the electric light at night and in
many cases until the midnight hour.
Denison has a student population but
admittedly not so large as that of
Ames.
In viewing the situation as whole
we think the advantages are with
Ames and the fact that under the cir
cumstances the plant there has made
a great success in financial way does
not argue cOnvincingly that plant
in another place, under dissimilar
circumstances, would result the same
way.
We assume that the people of Den
isOn will try the experiment of NUM-
cipal ownership I'D it perhaps will be
as we'll to try it on the electric light
plant as anything else and while we
have never been an advocate of NUM-
cipal ownership of anything else We
imagine that bout as little harm could
come to the community on account
of trying it on the electric plant as
with any other public utility.
1t seems that the city council and
tne Electric Light Plant have been
unable to get together as was stated
by Mayor Laub at the meeting on Fri.
day night. The trouble is that the only
franchise which has been offered the
company by the city was the one pre-
pared by a Mr.. Palmer of Kansas City
and the Electric Light Company has
felt that it could not accept it, and
in as much as the city council is not
disposed to consent to any change in
the franchise offered, and as long as
no one else would probably accept the
franchise as prepared it leaves an op.
portunity for trying the experiment
If municipal ownership.
The Electric Light Company does
1ot expect any sympathy to be wasted
On it because the franchise, which the
city council has offered, is one it can
not accept because it believes it could
lot comply with it or live under it
without loss. And the owners of the