The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-01-16
SAME 0lDCROND;
SAME 7 OLD TRICKS
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Not all Of the present voters of Du-
1uth were here during the old fight
of the citizens for the municipal own
ership of the gas and water plant.
1t was a bitter and long one, but
the people won.
It is good idea for the people of
today to know just who it was in that
tight OF long ago that controlled our
city council; attempted to destroy the
clty's credit SO that the bonds for the
plant could not be sold; edited our
newspapers; brought injunction suits
against the city at the time the Lake.
wood plant was being constructed,
and sought by every means to defeat
the peoples plan of owning and op-
Grating their own gas and water
plant.
Herald on the Job.
This extract from an editorial in
the Duluth Evening Herald of Jan.
81, 1896, Gust 10 years ago) will give
some idea of the forces that were
fighting against the people then, and
the forces that are now trying to pre-
vent the citizens Of Duluth from own
Ing and operating their own electric
light and power plant
The new management Of the Gas
and Water company has shown q
| commendable desire to popularize it.
self by reducing the price of fuel gas
from $3.50 to $1.00 per 1000 cubic
feet. The announcement is also made
that a considerable reduction in the
price OF illuminating gas will be made
| at an early date:
'"These two facts are indications
| that the Hartmans are faithfully
carrying out the policy which they
| recently announced when they pur-
chased the controlling interest in the
Gas and Water company and assumed
its management"
| News Tribune Also on Deck.
About eight months later, or on
Sept. 1, 1897, an employee of the Du-
luth News Tribune, sent the following
news item" to the St. Paul Dispatch
in which it was printed, and from
there it was sent out all over the
United States as a news item by the
Associated Press news service. The
news item" was dated Duluth, Mimi,
and read as follows:
1.-The city funds are practically ex-
hausted and the city employees will
probably be, paid Off in orders for
many days to come. One-third of the
police force will have to be dis
! charged. Five engine houses of the
fire department have been closed and
boarded up and all park and other
public improvements have been
! stopped"
"A Deliberate Libel.
This news item" as sent out from
! the office of the Duluth News Tribune
in the olden days was for the pur-
pose of destroying the city's credit,
| and preventing the sale of the bonds
which were about that time being
marketed, for the, purchase of the old
Duluth Gas and. Water company's
plant. The a;sNews-Tribune tried to
blame the sendingof this libel on the
Evening Herald, but failed to make
the charge stick. It's cat came back
and camped on it's own doorstep,
where it belonged.
| Same Old Crowd.
| You see, it is the same old crowd;
and they are doing business in the
same old way. They use the same old
methods, the same old newspapers
and some Of the same old heelers.
1t is up to the people to give them
the same old licking with the same
old thoroughness, and end the mat
ter this time for good.
|
The figures Of the city's engineers
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