The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-05-12
TOMORROW, MAY Is, VOTERS
OF MADISON WILL DECIDE
CIVIC LOYALTY is NEEDED
DO NOT THROW YOUR CITY AND
BUSINESS INTERESTS INTO
THE HANDS OF A FOR
EIGN CORPORATION

On Tuesday, May 10, the people
of this city will be called upon to
cast a deciding ballot regarding the
issuance of municipal bonds with
which to erect and fully equip an
electric light plant. Tomorrow will
also decide just how much pride each
individual voter really takes in this
fair city. The laggard voter who
stays away from the polls tomorrow
shows by his absence a fatal lack of
understanding concerning the all i'm
portant interests hat are al stake.
The light situation and the city's
need has been under discussion for
nearly a year and by this time every
one must certainly be well posted On
the arguments that have been adj
vanced concerning the usefulness of
a municipality owned and operated
plant, therefore, to fail to vote on
the question tomorrow places one in
the position of being considered
wholly unworthy of the advantages
Madison offers. Come out to the
polls and do your duty. Your vote
is needed and will be appreciated.
The Northern States Power COM
pany, through its representative, Mr..
Charles Loring, has made our peo-
pie a proposition which is counter to
our interests and our future progress.
The acceptance of this offer is an as
sault upon our municipal independ-
ence. Who wants that corporation
to. get a strange hold on this city
for, say, even a term of ten years?
You don't do you, Mr. Voter? No,
nor the other fellow. What we do
want is 500, 900 invested in a plant
of our own-one that We build, own
and control ourselves. That would
means exactly 500, 600 worth of alb
solutely reliable service and, after a
period of years, the possession of
some valuable city property a tan
gible asset all our own.
To build our own plant means not
one single CEN of added taxation. 1t
would also mean the keeping of
$4,000 to $4,000 per year in our
city which otherwise would go to
Sioux Falls and Minneapolis. Aside
from this, there would be the pleas
ure of knowing that we are capable
of forwarding IN progress out of
our own Madison isn't
lame, neither is she a cripple that
must needs lean on the tender mer-
cies of outside corporate interests.
Let's all turn out and Ego over the
top" for Madison by voting for the
issuance of bonds. 1t is high time
this city invoked her OWE powers to
take care of herself. The difference
in the cost of production of current
here and at Sioux Falls is SO frac-
tionally slight as to be negligible.
The whole matter revolves around
the question as to whether we really
care enough about our own interests
to bond ourselves for genuine pro-
gress.
Beware of that Northern States
contract. It's fangs have not been
pulled. Think, people of Madison,
what would that paltry $25 a day
forfeit amount to should contingen-
cies render us lightless and power
less? Why, 5000 per day wouldn't
begin to pay the loss to Madison bus
mess should there be but one day OF
shut down or interruption Of service
for twelve hours. Twenty-Five dol
lars would be entirely inadequate to
cover the expense of a fortyfive min
ute shutdown at the Madison mill,
not to say anything about other
equally important lines of industry
that would suffer under disrupted
service.
The Northern States claims it can
save us $4,000 per year. Does 1t
guarantee that? 0, no never!
Why not? Because it can't prove
such a considerable saving. If they
are so cocksure of such munificent
saving to us, why do they not come
across the carpet and back up their
assertion with a positive guarantee
Would they put up "A forfeit of $12,
900 with which to reimburse u'
should we not save that much By
submitting to their covert domino
ton? Don't you ever think the,
would. Would they positively guar
antee that we could ave " $4,000
or $1,000 or $4,000 per annum un
der a forfeit OF an equal sum? No
That is not their game. The simple
fact of the matter is that we have
absolutely no certainty of saving on
red cent through their offer, but, OF
the other hand, that company is over
DESTROYS of taking out Of this city il
a period of ten years the term o
their contract, enough cold cash t
erect and fully equip two complet'
up-to-date electric plants.
Tomorrow every voter must b.
aware that If the Northern State
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