The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1914-10-10
CORPORATION MUST STOP
s's s.. .s' PoLITICALr ACTIVITIES

InaCnluaClOnS Oh StHe company Inc NAA-
,abling act Of 1905. which would have
given Duluth the right u issue bonds
for the erection Of a lighting plant
was defeated. A. high compliment
was paid to the members of the city
council of those days and. >leir
loyalty to the, citizens of Duluth was
contrasted with that Of alder Zen
whom the Duluth " Edison Electric
company gradually worked int< the
council to prevent the city from &C
quiring the electric hight plant
Ex-aldermen Moore, Wilson, Shar-
tel, McEwen, Ribenack, Mork, Barnes
Foubister, Getchell and others who
constituted the council Of 1906 we're
commended highly for their persist
ency and effectiveness in reducing
the rates of the company from 1875
cents to cents during that year. At
tention was drawn to the vigorous
opposition. made by the company to
the resolution reducing the, rates, as
they had always opposed every effort
to, help the people in their fights
against the company. -. Il,
During this time the same old
song about ..bankrupting the, company
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and soaring away capital" said Mr.:
Fessler, twas brought forward by this
corporation" ,.,.
Regardless of this great reduction
in the rates, Judge Fessler asserted
that the verified" reports of the COM
pany shows that instead of bankrupt
ing the company; they had become
more prosperous than ever before.
He used this argument to prove. the
contention of the Municipal owner
ship men that a. private monopoly
cant be- controller tby the Regulation
Of it's. rates. There j. are too many
schemes for foolings the people to be-
,lieve: that regulation Of rates or court
DEGREES can successfully hinder them
in their exploitation.
More Obstruction. .'~:
The story Of the efforts to pass the
enabling acts, in the legislature in
1907 and 1909 and it's final passage
in 1911 in the face of the opposition
of the lobbyists Of the electric COM
pany; how the representatives of the
company had continually worked in
the dark to defeat the will of the
people; how the bond issue of 1912
was carried by an overwhelming ma
jority but turned aside by an url-
worthy council was related at: length
by Mr.. Fessler. j., At this point, the
second stir of the evening took place.
Mr.. Fessler called attention to the
fact that the city attorney who then
went into office Mr.. Carmichael,
made no effort to carry out the pro-
posal of the bond issue but mysteri-
ously bobbed up Immediately after
the expiration of his term of officex1s
one of: the attorneys of the Duluth
Edison Electric company.
Present Commissioners Pledged :
when the present commissioners
were elected they were pledged to get
a municipal electric light plant for
Duluth,' continued the Judge, land
the people expect nothing qlse bit
that they will get it, The action Of
the council in endeavoring to carry
out this pledge to- the letter was ably
defended, and, those. members of the
club who have brazenly used every in
fluence to induce the commissioners
to violate this pledge were severly
"flayed" by the speaker, to, use a
phrase of the daily papers, -
Were the municipal ownership ad-
vocates to adopt such methods they
would be, called to account for it on
uncertain TERMS he said, "but when
big business men wanted to rob the
people. of their rights as citizens, they
cared no more for the pledges of pub
lie officials than they did when the
Duluth Edison Electric was taking
$175,000 out of the pockets of the
people Of Duluth. toE pay dividezbas on
watered stocks and bonds, &C. 81
''Whenever the doctrine of betrayal
of a. public trust was advocatedszby
business men," continued the speaker.
mo matter how bigcthey may be they
were undermining the very founda-
tons. Of government" ::
No Denial.
It was interesting to note that
among, the many business men present
at the meeting not one dared to at
tempt to refute the charge. The vote
indicated that these gen men
thought however that such a. policy
is good If indu1ged- in BY business
men," The columns of The Labor
World are open to any Of them to
explain their votes on the question
VI Iie uuIy OI" q puDl1Ct-;OlIlClal TO
carry out his election pledges.
Papers. Silent: F. :
That the municipal ownership adj
voeates are handicapped in their cam
paigns by the opposition of the daily
papers was brought:2out By. Mr.. i.sFess-
Ter. Neither Of the dailies has sup
ported a; municipal project that in any
way affected a Duluth corporation,
their editorial and news columns have
never: been devoted to. giving the :peo-
pie of the city a square deal. 80 {,
In critising The sspa persa Fessler
stated, that ne, does not. deny the
right o. the owners Of the papers to
run them to suit themselves: but he
thought the people ought to discount
somewhat the reliability ofythe argu-
ments' and facts they published. be-
cause they had always been on the
side of the public, service corpora
lions interested in defeating the .peo-
pie. f. IL r%rss.*3>:- ia Z. /
Several cases were mention Of. re-
cent dates to substantiate his charge.
An editorial was mentioned which
had been built upon the claim that