The Lamar register., 1919-03-26
THE BOND ISSUE
Answering Mr.. van Diests Ad in
Wednesdays News.


into your own plant, which is proven
by the Utilities Commission findings.
You have already fired sixteen-inch
shell into the town of Wiley, The Big
Bend mill, the Kornman mill, and you
have fired about battery of sixteen
inch shells into the citizens Of Lamar.
l. You ask if we believe in the
destruction of property. II money is
property, you evidently believe in the
destruction of it and the wilful waste
of it, all of which was extracted from
the citizens of Lamar by eNhorbitant
rates and fast meters.
2. Your second point about econom-
ic waste should be first adopted by
your own company before issuing
preachments to the citizens of Lamar.
3. The dark streets and fliclSering
lights during the past two years has
caused capital to hesitate to come to
Lamar. Under our new municipal
light plant the good citizens Of Lamar
will take their own chances on at
tracing capital
a. The people of Lamar are not
acting in a spirit Of revenge, but
merely that of selfpresevation, coupl-
ed with good business sense. Had the
management of the lntermountain
company taken as much personal in
terest Immediately after the first
Public Utilities hearing as they are
now. 0ust before election) they would
not have found it necessary to put on
such vigorous campaign at this time
5. You state that it would deprive
the City of Lamar and the surrounding
territory of an essential utility with
no prospect of successful substitute.
Ye Godsl Has the most thriving city
in the Arkansas Valley reached the
point where it is absolutely dependent
upon the whims of general manager
in Colorado Springs and a consulting
engineer in Denver for electric lights
and electric power? Not if the Pub
lie Utilities Commission and the peo-
pie of Lamar have anything 10 say
about i'll
A vote for the bond issue in the
coming election will save the com
munity thousands Of dollars which they
have been paying in exhorbitant rates
and it may result in the abandonment
of the power plant. Two Of your en-
gines are now out Of commission and
the third one is just hanging in the
balance. This class of machinery is
only junk, and your own consulting
engineer compared it to the "stone
age" So why refer to # as thous-
ands of dollars worth Of property.
In reference to taxes, If the s47.-
900 bond issue carries the t.xes will
be increased less than $1.17 per thous-
and valuation, for n period Of twenty
years. That is, If Mr. Taxpayer owns
n $1,000 home, the taxes are incroas-
ed only S2.34 per year. The question
is whether Mr.. Taxpayer would rather
pay $2.34 taxes n year for good lights
or the present tax rate Of about s2.3i
per month lover and above legitimate
lighting charge) or S2S.O0 per year to
your company and get poor lighting
service.
You say we will not know who is
spending the money if we build a new
plant. We admit that we do not know
who has been spending the money the
Lamar company has been earning. It
probably has been used to pay in
terest on an overbOnd issue, and a pro-
portion in maintaining general offices
in Colorado Springs and Denver, and
for spreading propaganda at election
time. Also in long distance telephone
calls trying to find out whether or not
Mr.. Moore is able to keep the lights
burning, and just how long your chief
engineer will have to remain down
here to help out Mr.. Weber. I'm
doubtedly we will lose your Denver
expert" after April first, but if you
fail to win the election, don't blame