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Show THE FRIENDS OF THE CITY. The eight Counollmen tho true friends of the people have, by defeating defeat-ing the franchise grab sought by Smith's Light and Railway company, fully vindicated their principles, and have conferred lasting and Inestimable benefits upon the people of this city. These Councllmen, mindful of their oaths and of their obligations to the public, have kept those oaths and have nobly met those- obligations. It ;icN the student of public affairs renewed confidence in popular government govern-ment to see the splendid fight these Councllmen have made for the public Interests, resisting Immense pressure from the hlerarch and his tools, and all the blandishments of a plutocratic monopoly mo-nopoly which has the tlthc-enrlched hlerarch at Its head. It in fact docs much more; it renews again one's confidence confi-dence in human nature to see the staunchness with which "the solid eieht" stood for their own self-respect and dignity, and for the Interests of this city. They have maintained the city's supremacy su-premacy within the city, by insisting that the city shall have tho regulating power upon the charges the company shall make for lights and for streetcar street-car fares. They have maintained the proper view, that the city has tho right of inspection, to Eee that the lights furnished fur-nished shall be of the power and quality qual-ity stipulated and paid for, both by the city and by private cosumers. They have maintained the altogether proper proposition that the city shall not be bound to tie Itself up with an obligation obliga-tion not to put In a municipal lighting plant during the life of the company's franchise. One thing they did not do which we wish they had done That is, put Into the franchise a section or clause providing pro-viding that after a stated number of years the city could proceed to take the light and street railway plant at a valuation val-uation to be fairly appraised, and operate op-erate It as a public utility. It Is the tendency in public opinion now, everywhere, every-where, to give cities this privilege, it need not be exercised, of course, unless the public shall so desire when the time comes, but the liberty to exercise-that exercise-that power should be retained. And by the time when a reasonable period for doing this might elapse, the experience of other cities would show whether It were best to exercise that power here or not. But this in no way derogates from the admiration and esteem In which "the solid eight." Individually and collectively, col-lectively, should be held by the people of this city. Their course has been straightforward, upright manly. Without With-out In any way wishing to discriminate between the eight, when all have done HO well, it may not bo amiss to especially especial-ly commend Councllmen A. I Davis and Black as the leaders In this great and good work, which has just so satisfactorily sat-isfactorily closed. |