The Washington times., 1935-08-14
MAYOR FIGHTS
UTILITY FROM
JAIL CELL
BY JUSTIN III. FORREST

HUNTINGTON, Ind, Aug. IA
Clare w. K. Bangs, mayor OF
Huntington and editor Of the
Daily Huntington News today
completed his fourteenth week as
a prisoner in the Huntington
county Jail, to which he was
committed May 8 by Circuit Judge
David E. Smith, of Fort Wayne.
During that time, Bangs has
directed the business of the city
and affairs of his newspaper from
his cell in the county's prison,
meeting his visitors in the "bull.
pen," with a turnkey always
present.
Friday, Judge Smith is to hand
down a decision as to whether
he will make permanent the tenn
porary restraining order, the in
tricate workings Of which landed
the mayor behind the bars.
i Bangs will be in court-his first
time outside" in SO days.
Doomed for Governor
Mayor Bangs is in Jail because
he attempted. to substitute
municipal electric light and power
for Huntington homes and stores
for the power imported by the
Northern Indiana Power Com
pany, a subsidiary in the old In
Sun power empire.
Huntington was the second city
in America to build its own elec-
trio light plant, which has been
in operation since 1885.
Yet the order of Judge Smith
temporarily restrained the city
and its officials from entering
or engaging" in the business OF
supplying power and light. 1t
was this order which landed
Mayer Bangs in jail. For the
first 10 days, he was not per-
mitteS to receive callers, even to
attend to his affairs as mayor,
lawyer or publisher.
The NIPC has three hydro
electric plants in the valley OF
the Wabash. They are joined
with a steam plant near Ham
mond.
Charged 9 Gents
The high tension wires pass
through Huntington on to Fort
Wayne. Yet the utility corpora
ton charged Huntington 9 cents
a kilowatt while Fort Wayne, rs
miles beyond, got a rate of 5 cents,
forced by the Fort Wayne munich
pal plant, which later reduced it's
rate to 4 cents.
Huntington's engineers decided
the city plant could supply power
for 6Ea cents for the first 80 kilo-
watts; AZ cents for the second 80.
and 21a cents for all above that
amount. Meanwhile Bangs paper
had been pounding away for mu-
nicipa1 ownership.
During the campaign last fall,
both Bangs, Republican. and his
opponents, ran on a municipal
ownership platform. Bangs won
handily and was sworn in at l
o'clock, January ! this year. He
explains:
1--WE had ordinances all pre-
pared providing for expansion
of the city's plant, which has
supplied light and power to all
public buildings and some pri-
vate consumers, for years. By
2:45, they were passed and in
StructiOns given to start connect
ing service.
OBTAINED INJUNCTION
Gan hour and 10 minutes
later, the temporary restraining
order was sought by the North
ern Indiana Power Company,
and granted by Judge Sumner
Kenner, who later disqualified
himself as taxpayer, and
hence an interested party. A
special judge, Smith was Sc
lected, and MEANWHILE, 1 evaded
service"
The mayor hid out for II days,
and then appeared in court and
accepted service. But the work
continued at night, until Judge
Smith cited him, other city Of
ficialS, and five consumers who
had installed city service, for
contempt. The NIPC brought suit
for $4,000 damages, which it
claimed had been sustained by
loss of business. Judge Smith
ordered Mayor Bangs to pay
$1,000 of the total; Reed Clark,
alleged electric business solicitor
for the city, $3.50; Cecil Nc
Gregor, construction foreman,
$3.50: two linemen, $25 each, the
balance by the five citizen con-
Sumers who had the temerity to
tr-' to buy their light from their
own city plant.
Mayor Bangs and the others
were ordered to pay forthwith"
to the NIPC those sums. Mayor
Bangs insisted that as a public