The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1914-10-31
Resolution Adopted Reaffirming
Previous Stand Taken On
COMMISSIONER MERRITT
NOT TO BE MISLED
Contract and Demagogue Pleas
Fail to Influence City
Council.

That the city commissioners refuse
to be led into a trap by certain "busi-
ness men, of this city is evidenced
| by the action of the city council
adopting resolution Incorporated in
letter from Commissioned Merritt
by vote of to 1, Commissioner
Voss voting No. at their regular
meeting last Monday.
! A tilt took place between Merritt and
Voss on the contents Of the letter,
Voss charging that 1t was positively
insulting. Merritt's attitude in the mat
ter indicated that he has had con-
siderable dealings with this sort Of
coVer!V deceit at some .other time.
The majority of the commissioners
have proved themselves loyal to their
prediction pledges and have stood
firm on the one important matter of
eliminating for all time the influence
of the Duluth Edison Electric COM
pany from municipal politics.
! Merritt's Letter.
The letter which aroused the dis
cussion in the council follows:
TO the city council of the city Of Du-
! luth,
Gentlemen:
| There is no new question presented
TO us by the communication of r. B.
Knox and others of Oct. Is. On their
first appearance, these gentlemen
wanted the council to please ask the
Du1uth-Edfson Electric company to do
business with us, although the COM
pany cannot possibly do business with
any one else. The council having re-
fused, some of these same gentlemen
(the others apparently having lost
their relish for the job) go to the
company and get schedule of rates
which had to be handed out to any
one that would ask for them in be-
half Of the dear people.
Edison's Game.
No one has doubted that the Duluth
| Edison Electric company would give
a s1x-cent rate If 1t could get the city's
| name on any kind of new contract,
The gentlemen who now present it's
| offer had no difficulty in getting it.
Any other six men In Duluth could
have done the same thing. The only
| novel thing about it all is that these
gentlemen now for the first time in
their careers are asking that a. civic
| question be submitted to the people
for decision. Whenever in the past
the company's friends wanted to put
something over on the people, they
worked the council for it and pro-
tested vehemently If any one asked
for referendum on it. Now, that the
council is not subservient to them,
| they make the pretense of being So
licitous for the welfare of the peo-
pie. Their anxiety now is not for the
people and the public interests but for
the Duluth-Edi and their private
| interests. If the time ever comes that
the people get ready to fix rates for
the Duluth Edison company, they will
be fixed at much less than six cents,
for they will be fixed on a basis of a
! fair return on the reasonable value Of
the plant and not on the face value
of the bonds and stocks the company's
officers have been able to unload on
the widows and orphans And these
gentlemen will not be found on the
! firing line contending for any such
basis for fixing the rates.
It Is not necessary to repeat the rea-
sons we gave for our former refusal
to consider a contract of any kind
These gentlemen do not suggest any
explanation for us to give the people
for not standing on the platforms on
which we were elected. The day has
! passed when political platforms can
be used just to get into office on. In
these days the people expect public
| officials to stand on the platforms
they got in on just as long as they are
riding at the public expense.
City's Powers.
Neither do these gentlemen give
any reason for us making a contract
They know the company has made
| contracts and recently, with their Gus
toners for a six cent rate, without
asking our consent. They know the
| city has no right to make a contract
as to commercial light of power rates.
They know that neither the city or
the company would be bound by such
a contract if it was made. So that is
not the reason the company wants a
contract We have to have our
streets lighted. We are willing for
the Duluth Edison to light them. We
are willing for them to light them at
the rate of SIS per arc light. So that
is not the reason the company wants
a contract. Why doesn't the COM
pany make these reductions to all of
our citizens? And why do no, these
public-spirited citizens that are fight
ing for them tell the company to do
so, instead Of asking us to help them
do something that they are already
doing and that nobody is trying to
keep them from doing?
There's a Reason.
OF course, there is reason, or the
company and the daily press would
not be trying to throw the community
| into Mysteries in order to get us to
make contract. Perhaps this is the
| reason: Just as soon as the city
! makes a contract with the company,
tho neon1o and tho co,,nr3l 1osa ~ a