The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-05-24
The ssRotter Gas. Z

we nave D6GH UeSI6gGa III tnt past
few days by protests against the sup
ply of gas being furnished to Kenosha
by the owners Of that utility in the city.
! We have not been unmindful of the
fact that the gas is poor, we are of
the opinion that it is more or less of
menace to health. We have been ad-
vised by men who ought to know that
it is not dangerous. They have adj
1aitted that it may be nauseating
and inconvenient whatever incon-
venient" may mean when applied to
gas.
You possibly remember that in the
days of Old Rameses or, possibly some
| time before that time t-,ey told the old
story of the farmer who was given to
cussing. He was The most polished
cusser that ever cussed a cuss and some
/ people got so that they would do pretty
| nearly any thine to hear his artistic
handling of anything that particularly
called for artistic and properly applied
| profanity. 1T was admitted, even at
that time, that he was the expert of ex-
perts when it came to cussing Just to
give that same cusser a cuss as he never
cussed before lot of fellows so mean
| that they would steal potatoes which
had been planted In a thrift garden
waited about until the old man started
to market with a load OF potatoes worth
1 coolies of money a bushel. He had an
old-fashionel tail gate in the wagon
and when he got to the top Of a particu-
larly long hill they removed the tail
gate and let every one of those pota-
toes deposit itself at various points
at the bottom of the hill. But you
remember that the old fellow never
cussed cuss but after looking over the
1 conditions went over into the woods and
cut his throat because situation had
arisen to which he was not able to do
justice.
Words fail us just the same way
/ when it comes to discussing the gas sit
uation We~ have tried in our feeble
way to protest on former occasions but
the results attained have not been what
the ordinary man calls satisfactory.
Men who are connected with the utility
company say that the gas is not getting
better but that it is going to get worse.
| Possibly by the opening Of real hot
weather it will be as bad as some of
the gas they are shooting about the
L.
The excuses summed up by the COM
pany are: that eastern coal can no lon
ger be obtained TO make gas and that
the quality of gas to be made from
such coal as can be secured is not
nearly as good as is being supplied now
that iron borings and hard lumber
shavings are necessary for the proper
publication of the gas and that they
can not be secured for love or money.
The company declares that it has tried
to buy them all over the country. Per-
haps it is another case of Al Hated
i and the acres of diamonds. May be the
company is not near-sighted enough.
/ Some men dsclare that hundreds of
loads of hard wood shavings and hun
dreds Of barrels of iron borings could
be obtained right here in Kenosha and
we are of the opinion that there is
enough civic patriotism among Keno
sha manufacturers to have them make
the gas company preferred customer.
Utility companies can not lay down
on their iohc on account of hard busi-
ness conditions any more than any other
Kind of companies. The bills of the
company will get out just as regularly
as if the gas supply was one to which
we could point with pride. II the com
pany is going to continue to supply poor
gas to Kenosha let it supply smaller
bills and lot smaller. lie it can not
furnish quality let ckeapness Of price
ameliorate the enforced conditions. The
company must give the people the assur-
ance that Il is going to furnish gas and
gas that IS Sal gas if it expects to re-
tain the confidence Of the people. It
may cost the company money to meet.
the demands Of the people--a lot more
honey than has been put into the esti-
mate Of the cost Of doing business but
lot Of peola right now are putting into
business 4 lot more money than they
ever did before without taking any
more out The people will stand for
lot Of things but there must come the
limitation some time and this limit is
admittedly the quality Of Gas now be-
ing supplied to Kenosha. We have no
remedy to suggest but we know that
some where there are men who are suf-
ficiently expert in dealing with this
problem to suggest the remedy. We are
slow to believe that all cities in the
country are passively accepting the
kind of gas that is being supplied here.
Admittedly Unscientifc.
In spite Of the non-partisan =