The Power Fight at City Hall
Tacoma business owners demand a stay on new electric franchises, fearing a private monopoly over the city's municipal light plant.
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At the council meeting last night, a petition signed by 150 business men urged the council to refuse a franchise to the T. R. P. company that would effectively loan the city electric light plant to private interests and keep out competition. Councilman Whitman raised a furore by introducing a resolution to delay any action on telephone or power franchises until October 1st to allow for an investigation. However, the resolution was overwhelmingly defeated, with Councilmen Martens, Duevel, Reed, Lamborn, and Giblett voicing strong opposition. Councilman Martens argued, 'Is the committee so dumb that it cannot think for itself?' and insisted that the city should find out what it wants as quickly as possible. Councilman Lamborn added that they had already investigated systems in Seattle and Los Angeles.
“Is the committee so dumb that it cannot think for itself?”
Municipal power ownership is a perennial civic issue in Tacoma; this 1904 battle prefigures the city’s long-standing reliance on Tacoma Power as a public asset against private consolidation.
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