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Show streets and, alle-j-s of thecifyto tte troHey' brancb crtLe'-trjst,-wIthout recovery'"or control," was '.th4 yThefailure;to insert-a- elnse'by vhicjiHte!city cc;:!d?"fofe1t ebme of the eyeral 'franchises ;in,cas4 the c6upahy failed toUive ,pp to "its contracts xat nerely. fiin'inrioCent omiislon'-i., r ;;'; ' j The-whole scheme, in fact, was merely a plan to sound the - peojle, to eee-jastwhat- they --wonld stand. l"v - : ' '.'' ' ; WELL, THE COMPANY SAW. A'D HEARI j AND TUMBLED. " : ; : 1 ? ' : j ' f Of courjse the people should' haVeno intefestin these, affairs, jfhe peopTe"should "merely:pay:theit taxes, sniile and kiss the: hand "that, smite's them. , J "The people should hafe(' no "voice" iij the icontro and direction ' of a corporation existing by theii favor and -fattening on their ubstance.-' -k'J . It, is "rational progress to-be dujnb.when such -a corporation speaks. 7 ' , ' .. . . . t A City Council, supposed .to: be representatiyes of the people, riiust do. only the bidding of a corf poration owning practically the public utilities. t And a newspaper which i daresto' print, a . line against such1:, a 'gigantic 'monopoly should becoh-demned becoh-demned to butei darkness-U-brj worse1 fat'e,e eke. out its miserable existence under-the flickering' light of one of that monopoly's "feeble Jam :ihJ-'-Z ( . But, seriously, what- does the. News ' mean :by "such members'of the Council as ;haTe gristle in stead of backbone?" (Haye some; of Fernstrom'i followers been weakening? ': ; ' ; Somebody Hai Been Weakening? . The Peseret News .tumbles on the franchise grab with all the. grace and agility of an acrobat, j acrobatic stunt is only equaled by the similar , feat of the Utah Light and Railway company, whose organ the 2s ews is. After writing himself blue in the face in support sup-port of the demand for an extension of fifty i years of the existing franchises-of the electric combination, com-bination, with the existing rates, declaring it eminently emi-nently fair and generous to ttie people, the editor J settles himself down to. the level of anr eight-year extension and a one-third" reduction in rates as the only real and true "fair and square" proposition. v Terhaps if an indignant people should rise ' and compel the Council to protect all .their rights, the. News would vomplacently rise up. and say, j "Just see what we have done." ; ' "After recovering his breath, los't from its double back-sqmersault, the News proceeds to asseverate fcs follows: ? I . " ' ' We understand the cause.'of the animus exhibit against the ' company by certain individuals, and view, it as both petty and J jnalleious The pretense. that it Is In the' Interest of the public, ' h ns absurd and untrue' as the assertions that have been made (concerning the whole matter;- to deceive- the unwary and scare F ich members of the Council as' have gristle instead of backbone. back-bone. . I . . Thinking people ought not to be carried away by lnflamma- tory synches, and attacks upon a corporation after the usual 6) yle of Populistlc harangues, but should use their judgment at any rate, look at both sides of a matter before mak-. mak-. l.'B a decision and joining in with malcontents and opponents! , . 4 rational progress.- Let the City Council do what Is light and -jii-t and fair.-and tne great body of our citizens, when they l ully understand the .facts, will support them against aU un-fours:d un-fours:d and sinister opposition. v ! ' ' -. "Unfounded and sinister" opposition is good. Of course, that little fifty-year request, with its at-I at-I tendant knocking away of all props that protect the - interests of the people was just a huge joke. So was the proposition to fasten upon the people a rate "of 15 'cents per "kilowatt hour for a period of : ninety-two years. 2 ft -. , i Lfkewise the proposition to turn over all the |