The Cordele Dispatch And Daily Sentinel

THEY'RE COMING TO SEE US

Citizens and business men of this community who had to put up such a hard fight against the Georgia Electric power combine to secure bonds recently for a municipal light and power plant in Cordele will be amazed at the announcement in this issue of the Dispatch that the Georgia-Alabama Power Company is coming here Tuesday to make a twenty-five year contract with the city officials to furnish power to us from the Albany dam.

They will be surprised because only last year these same officials told Mayor Land and a delegation who went for the purpose of seeing what opportunity there was to get the hydro-electric current that there was none to offer, that all they had was sold up and not a dollar's worth could be considered for Cordele. At that time the Georgia Public Service Company, just another name for the Cordele and Tifton plants, but the same electric power interests, were pulling from us a handsome sum and a change, of course, would be taking money out of their own pockets.

That same exorbitant rate is being charged today, but the combine is facing a change in Cordele, one which is likely to take the current control in this community completely out of their hands. The people are very near to the point where they can determine their own rates.

Now the Georgia-Alabama Power Company is coming to contract with us. They not only have power in abundance for us, but they have contracted with Americus at a rate much below that being charged in that city, that is, for that portion which is used for street lighting purposes. They do not publish the rate charged for commercial uses.

This is a strange world and strange things occurring all the time. Moultrie gets practically the same rate as Americus is getting and their current from the Baker county dam. It appears rings within rings and the Georgia Railway and Power Company after all is the whole thing.

When Cordele started after its plant, the next day after Pat Griffin and another sleek looking fellow representing the Georgia Railway & Power Company were in this town trying to understand why we should start such an unwise piece of business. Soon Uncle Joe Hill Hall came here, admitting that his salary was paid by the Georgia Railway & Power Company, but deeply concerned about tax burdens in the state. He finally deplored the fact that the Municipal League of Georgia was in a movement communistic, bolshevik and anarchistic in its tendency to make it possible for municipalities in Georgia to own and control their water powers and develop current for use in the many business communities. They had a hard fight to make and, of course, since Cordele was coming out for its own rights, it was necessary to get on the ground and make a fight.

Now we have won and they have power to offer from another source. There is but one more thing this paper has to say: We warn the men who represent us in the municipal government. There will be a hand out from behind for the man who will help them put one over the people of Cordele. If we have a single man representing us in the city government who will take pay for his vote and influence in securing a contract for 25 years for power and lights in Cordele, they will find that man and work on him in the dark.

You may say this is foolishness—it isn't. Our fight won us the right to make our own power and light rates. We want the people of this community to have the right to approve or reject by their vote any contract for 25 years these people may have to offer in Cordele. We call this to mind because they stalled us off as long as they could from the hydro-electric power. The only difference between the Alabama dam last year and this is the fact that last year the people of Cordele could be robbed mercilessly and this year they cannot.

Let the people—the qualified voters—decide whether they shall accept such a contract as they come to offer us now. We warn against letting them bottle us up again. We are out now and have our own independence. If they bring us something fair and attractive, let us approve it openly. If they do not, then let the people decide for themselves. There can be no regrets or mistakes in such a course.