Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1920-12-22

using light power for his personal
business that in fact belonged just
as much to any patron of the Cross
vile Electric Light Company as to
him, he flaunted the flag of defiance
in the face of the public by putting
bright light in front of his store,
while other stores had no electric
light power at all.
New Company Talked Of.
There is considerable talk of or
ganizing an electric light company to
supply the town. but if the express
taken at face value, not many per-
sons will put money into a plant that
is 10 be dominated by person
who is so selfish and disregardful Of
he rights of Others as to gobble up
the lights for himself and leave
others to shift as best they can, and
not content with monopolizing the
lights, but filings defiance in the face
of the public by putting a bright
light outside his store as we'll as
lighting up the inside with what
seems all the brilliancy possible.
A Fair Course
Had Mr.. Reed desired to be fair he
would have gone to the merchants
of the town and explained that he
felt duty bound to furnish the Chron-
icle Company in daytime because
otherwise our business would be
shut down so far as issuing paper
was concerned. Then saying to
them something after this fashion
AT night | will give all the mer-
chants lights as long as possible and
when the lights must be shut off |
from your store they will also be
shut off from my store" But did he
10 that? Everyone knows that he
lid not, but did the opposite of using
The lights for his business and al
owed none to other business houses.
His View of Situation.
Mr.. Reed also put himself in an
lttiude that most persons would not
wish to occupy when he said to the
writer something after this fashion
rhe town areated me like l was a
'irate" and now they must do some
hing to help or | may stop and let
hem get their lights as best they
an. He claimed that he had some
vcr $4,000 tied up in the business
nd that it had never paid and if he
vas to lose his $4,000 he would pre-
er to know it before he put $3.50
1ore into it-that being the price of
mother Delco unit, which it seemed
,ould have to be bought.
Position of the Public.
Mr.. Reed was very prompt to see
here he was likely to lose on his
enture of attempting to furnish
ghts and power to the people of
rossville. but he was very slow
} recognize the fact that the v
eople of Crossville as whole very E
kelly had spent far more to have S
leir houses wired and in buying t
eters than had Mr.. Reed for his t
ant And further, the wires in the 2
omes would be dead loss unless t
ley could secure the electricity for b
shts, whereas the plant Mr.. Reed ii
IS would not of necessity repre- a
mt any very heavy oss lif he o
ould decide to cease furnishing the T
lblic electricy, for the wires e
ould be salab1e at some price and 81
e extra unit he would not require T
light his business would likewise b,
salable. {
Wish To Be Fair.
It has been our effort to make as
r a statement of this matter as q
ssib1e and if Mr.. Reed feels that w
have done him an injustice he a. a.
II be accorded free space to make "
y reply he may choose. In max Y, w
, this proffer it is not Our effort ~
draw Mr.. Reed into a newspaper {!
ntroversy, but merely to treat him vi
tn the spirit of fairness that he co 60
1ied US. IT