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Show The Light Muddle. The latest move of the Hercules company, that of raising their canyon dam to such a hight that the water will Mood, the cite of the city plant, has aroused the cltl.ens pretty thoroughly thor-oughly and there is a general expression ex-pression to the effect that the council coun-cil should cut out all street lights, order or-der the Hercules company to placo its wires to the height designated In Its franchise, and to conform to the ordinance or-dinance requiring the use of insulated wires. It Is argued that thei Her-, cules people have acted In a generally high handed manner in all their deal ings with the city, and their evident disposition now is put the city to as much trouble and expense as Is possible. pos-sible. Tho citizens naturally feel Indignant In-dignant and are willing to suffer the Inconvenience of unllghted streets rather than pay the Hercules Co. $240 a month to be used in a light against the city. The ItKi'UHLiCAK believes that such a move Is the proper thing and a rather extended canvass of business men and citizens generally leads to the belief that the city council will .have the support of a large majority of Loganllcs should that body decide to do as suggested In the above paragraph. para-graph. $240 a month means $2,880 a year, more than enough to pay the Interest on the $H.r)l000 borrowed money and any move to save this sum Is well worthy of consideration. A dark town Isn't a very pleasant thing to contemplate; and the darkness dark-ness may offer some protection to the criminal class, but as one prominent citizen expressed It: "I would rather that the $240spent for street lights be spent for additional police protection protec-tion than given to a corporation tllftl lillS slKWIl the city so little consideration con-sideration k far, abil which Intends In the future to light the city to a tlnlsh. We have done without lights before and while our tastes have been cultivated a little, still wc can again get along without lights." Tills Is a view entertained by many. As to making the Hercules company comply with provisions in regard to height and Insulation of wires, this might seem to conic In the way of retaliation, re-taliation, but It need not be so considered. con-sidered. In the franchise granted the company Is a clause stipulating the hlghtof wires and that they shall be Insulated, and If the city chooses to enforce this part of the contract, as oidlnanccs demand, It simply comes as a plain business proposition. Tho contract is such anil the law reads so-and-so and both should be carried oil f. No ono will doubt for a single instant in-stant that tho Heicules people expect ex-pect to put no tho stiongest light possible pos-sible from tills time on. They cannot can-not hope to do more than Incon-cnlence Incon-cnlence the city and cause litigation and unnecessary delay, and mako the city plant as cxpenslvo as possible, yet they will in all piobabllity do this, and they should be met half-way in i the fight. Tho city sliould cut off the sticct lights, cause the Hercules people peo-ple to comply with stipulations In franchise and conform to ordinances, and then the city sliould go ahead about its business as though the Hercules Her-cules people do not exist. The city can, must and will win out In this electric light tightit cannot afford to Imj swamped, nor need It suffer itself to bo spat upon. Let each move of the city council be characterized by careful Investigation and businesslike business-like transaction and when the time comes for a fight with the Hercules people the citizens will stand bv the city. They could not afford to do less, and there will be no disposition to do less. There need bo no serious concern con-cern felt at the present status of affairs. af-fairs. Clouds may bcon tho horizon and others may gather, but the light of the city plant Itself will touch with a golden lining these harbingers of storm and disaster, and before success suc-cess fears will melt away Into praises and rejoicing. |