The Franchise Fight
The newly seated Walla Walla City Council engages in a heated dispute over gas and electric utility franchises.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The first session of the new city council was an unusually busy affair, highlighted by the granting of 25-year gas and electric franchises to the Walla Walla Gas and Electric Company. The session featured a lively debate between Councilmen McLean and Smith. Smith opposed the terms of the electric ordinance, arguing that the company should be required to pay the city more than $300 per year, and successfully moved to increase the fee to $400 for the first five years. However, manager Burrows of the gas company successfully lobbied to keep the rate for the gas franchise at a lower figure. The ordinances were passed, ultimately requiring the company to pay less in total than initial drafts had proposed. The council also addressed reports from the city clerk and library trustees, noting that 12,783 books were loaned during the previous year.
“The bringing up of the gas and electric franchises resulted in a lively discussion.”
Utility franchise fights remain a cornerstone of municipal politics, as local councils continue to balance the needs of private providers against public revenue. The 1903 conflict between McLean and Smith mirrors the ongoing tension in modern city halls regarding infrastructure development and fair compensation for public rights-of-way.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.