Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-10-03

ter in the council, six weeks inter
vened, during which time all who
wished could look over the proposed
contract, the principal provisions
of which were published in the News
Budget and could have been secured
by any other paper that cared to
look into the matter and put before
their readers the actual facts, rather
than criticisms utterly lacking in
facts for foundation. The News
Budget did not maintain, when men
tioning the provisions of the contract
as at first drafted, that no improve
ment could result from revision, in
fact the commissioners state that
the principal reason the contract was
left at Mr.. Dimock's for inspection
was to give the citizens an oppor-
tunity to look it over and suggest
improvements SO that anything that
even looked like possible defect
could be remedied.
The Journal puts this forth as an
argument: Probably any of our
coal dealers would be glad to enter
into contract to furnish the city
with coal for the next five years, but
Is that a good reason why the city
should make a contract?" The city
has made a contract for coal for a
year, as is customary 1t is also
customary to award lighting contracts
for periods Of five years. If the
rates are not right the state COM
mission will change them; if the city
wants to take over the plant and run
it at any time, the contract is no
bar, not even an asset to be paid
for by the city, as is expressly pro-
vided for in the contract, and it is also
provided by state law that such CON
tracts shall terminate whenever a
city desires and is ready to run the
plant itself.
II the contract is fair to the city
and safeguards its interests, the
fact that awarding it will benefit the
lighting company in some way is
surely no reason why it should not
be granted. The lighting company is
entitled to some consideration as a
local institution. 1t is not necessary
that an attitude of hostility or an
tagonism be felt by the city officials
against public service corporation,
although that does not mean that
such corporations and officials should
get together" to the disadvantage
of the public. There is an extreme
both ways to be avoided. The light
ing company has never given the
slightest indication of any desire to
boost the interests of the News Bud
get, but we agree with the Journal
that there doesn't appear to be any
ground for antagonism or ill feeling
against the lighting company on ac-
count of the contract
Is there any better reason for an
tagonism to the city commission at
every turn? Such antagonism is fac
tiOnalism of the rankest and most
deprecable sort. The city commits
sioners have done great deal of hard
work that has been very creditable
to them. Instead of taking the at
titude of chronic crouch and dis
posed to find fault at every turn,
criticising them for slowness and de-
lay one minute and with '.unseemly
haste" the next, let us be sure they
are not doing their best to conduct
the affairs of our city in a business
like and, Withal, careful manner, so
that they will leave behind them a
record of painstaking devotion to the
public's interests that they can be
proud of. Let us be fair-minded in
such matters, giving credit as freely
when due as we thrust the lance of
criticism when we think everything is
not going just as we would have it.