Morris tribune., 1913-08-29
WILL TAKE The
STUMP SHORTLY
Ebsrhart to Urge State Control
of Utilities at County Fairs,
- j -
SENATE COMMITTEE MEETS
He aring at st. Paul Attended by Many
Persons Hostile to the Gov
srnor's Plans.
SENATE COMMITTEE MEETS

st. (SpeciaI) Governor Eb-
erharts campaign for statewide con-
troll of public utilities is now on and
by Sept 10 at the latest the issue
will be the subject of addresses which
his excellency has arranged to deliver
at a score or more of county fairs
throughout the state. The PROPOSE
ton was launched at st. Paul in a
speech delivered by the governor be-
fore the Office Mems association and
the" whole. thing in plate" matter is
now running serially in half the coun-
tsys papers of the state. For your
benSfit, Mr.. Publisher, the address can
be had for the asking. There is no
sharge. Following the governors ad
dress the subject was aired by the
senate committee named to inquire
into state control and it will hold an
other meeting next month when the
proposition will be further gone into.
While the address of the governor,
which gave his reasons why the utili-
ties operating in. the state should be
changed from local to state control,
vas; favorably received and brought
to him much editorial backing and let
ters; of congratulatory kind from
all over the state, it was a hostile
gathering that confronted the senate
committee which met two days later
to hear from the public on the sub
ject. Frank N. Stacy, who though he
discIaimed any such connection, really
represented his, excellency, was the
only one to offer support in behalf of
the issue. Frank was there with fig
ures and arguments and he left no
stone unturnad, in an effort to get into
the record the beauties and advantages
of the new order of things as advocat-
ed by Governor Eberhart. The other
side was there too with figures and
its slogan was home rule from start to
finish. And so the day was taken up.
It looked to me as a day pretty much
wasted. The next day asked a promi-
nent "cit" what he thought of state
control of public utilities and he asked
me to explain. This would indicate
that Governor Eberhart has some job
before him in interesting the people
before the special session of the Iegis-
Iature which he has promised to call
is convened.
!. !. =
In: the opinion of yours truly the
passage OF a statewide control act and
the necessary commission, whether it
be an addition to the present state
railway board or a separate depart
meht, is almost certain. AS Dooley
says, to be a real reforner you must
be a pest, all of; which probably does
not appeal to the leaders of the sew
eraI Twin City civic uplift organiza-
tions who are now bucking his excel
lency and endeavoring to show that
in backing the state control issue he
is playing in with the utilities and the
mOneyed side of the question who
want to be divorced from local con
troll, This is the stand they are TAX
ingtand to any one who has followed
the governor and his way of getting
by with anything he tackles the knowI
edge is apparent that they are only
helping the proposition along.
watched the bunch at the meeting OF
the senate committee and while its
leaders offered excellent arguments IL
behalf of the retention of the present
system of utility control the knoch
was ever to the front and it wearied
What good the crowd did was lost il
tnsinuations.
!. X ).
Knowing how Governor Eberhart
stands with the voters Of the state