The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-21

!, ,be world. and no way to light 1t!
"Ub,t was the use of all those eX-
.,.g,nt five globed boulevard lamps
~ ,horo was no electricity 10 put In
10 And the houses? Why. when
s,oedvay was illuminated. the
~ won't down 80 that you had to
~ , match to see your " electric
,at,s, The newspapers had a joyous
IA, of it the morning after the dedica.
'I,r and ~ the time they finished
Win him sam Arnold was about the
most unpopular nan In town.
why didn't he know before that the
c,,y mower plant was inadequate? But
.ha, was the way with these visionary
Jung fellows. Nothing would do but
- man he biggest thing In creation
srd then leave out some important
- that spoiled II all, like the man
abo built his own house and forgot
IN l.,ye a hole for the stairway.
The newspapers. one and all. had a
II, of fun at Sam Arnold's expense:
M, the blade capped the climax. II
turned the standard cut of Theodore
Roosevelt upside down, printing it
from the back as a square. black block.
and called it sam Arnold's Grand
speedway Illumination" Young Cal
uicks thought of hat clever idea and
made a reputation by 1t.
The hing was too serious for much
iokirg. though; because what were
,hev going to do about it? Build a
now mower plant? Well, hardly!
Hardy, The city of Winburg had
hullt all il was going to build. Sam
Arnold had already plunged the town
into a five million dollar Indebtedness.
and the taxes were as high as they
were ever to be, You could put that
in your pipe and smoke 1t! Speed
way, What good was It? You could
drive out after breakfast and look at
It. Ell?
Here was the whole town torn up for
year. still, torn up: mud every place:
and what was there to show for It?
Ten miles Of electric lights that
wouldn't burn! All, Sam Arnold
was a great one! He was more un-
popular even than old Buck Spooler.
the town nuisance. who got drunk and
broke windows every Saturday night.
Public indignation ran high.
Did YOU ever hear the beat Of Sam
Arnold. Couldn't phase him! Just
made a laughing stock of Winburg
with the greatest fiZzle { he age. and
before he towns lone talking about
Il he's right back. as brazen as brass,
with another gaudy scheme First
thing YOU know he hobs up serenely
with the news that Representative
Sinter has pledged himself to secure
a Government dam for Winburg-and
Winhurg may have the overflow of
the dam for an electric power plant!
The dams all right. Winburg should
have had il long ago. Would
have had. if Jake Sinter had lived In
WiDburg in place of upstate. That
dam would do away with the fifteen
mile rapids above the town, open up
800 miles of upstate waterways to
communication with the gulf and the
sea. and make Winburg a much more
important shipping centre.
Blu. why couldn't Sam Arnold let
vel enough alone? No. he must have
that eminent coal ~monopolist. Jake
S.nter. hitch on to the dam appropria.
ton a grant-a tremendous permits
SION, mind you-for the city of VIM
burg 10 build an electric plant to util-
IL the wa.er power of the dan over
flow. They made puns on that.
Great Scott, but sam Arnold could
see BIZ He was going to have the
city build a plant big enough to supply
al N!nhurg's lights. and its traction
lnes. and the factories, and still have
nae-'"a,hs IF the output of electricity
70 sell. And how much would such a
power plant cost? Oh. only about two
million dollars Oh. only about two
million dollars. only about two MILL
.un dollars
u gods and little fishes! OF all the
lrlssy rifrontery. Here was the city
" Wrhurg under the burden of five
million dollars worth of bonds, and Sam
Arnold proposed to add two million
dollars more debt Where did that fool
SUPPOSE money came from? Did he
mink 3, grew on bushes? Did he i'm
agne the printing Offices could turn it
out Ike h|audbills?
one entire day the newspapers spent
N bowling down the asinine propo-
s.i.or; ana public Indignation ran high.
The H"Nt morning that indestructible
fed"eIi presented the argument which
Re had %,uuU.ngly withheld until the
fever had spent itself. He did not pro-
pose o. have The city take on an addi-
t'nal iur.el f debt. H. meant for
me city % organic" a power company
"a Il IL were a private enterprise, bond
lhdi enterprise for two million and sell
The bonds 90 the consumers of the
t%'e.,t.. power. The project in this
~ a..' would .ot only Doe no expense,
''' "i yi..l the city a revenue,
u'''.' .' Passing the taxation.
w ny COARSE that was different
tt" ordinary taxpayer was immedi-
a'''t I'..y.I in his intellect and the
man who paid no taxes was always
heartily in .lyor Of snowy improve
Me'''' Public Indignation began tC
run I'", but private Indignation, con
"Ael D W to the prospective consum-
tH o. electric power, Immediately
NaNcd hot. President Miihurn of tn,
N'Hb1rg Traction Company sent fol
sam IN a hurry.
What does this mean" he de.
mahded, pointing to a line which
named the traction company as one
VI the ultimate consumers.
sam uncovered his red hair and lait
MS nat on the desk. He had broker
M'In'in In their traction war, and haC
Hdu" "'in president of the cOnsOlida'
.oh Tor convenience; but the fact tina
N"o"iu was now "A mere tigureheat
see'icI % have slipped hat gentle
man mind. lie sat big and heavy