‘Highway Robbery in Glenwood’

From the Pope County Tribune, Thursday, March 6, 1924.

“Highway Robbery in Glenwood” has been going on for some time in this city without interference- alleged ‘fleecing’ has been carried on systematically.

Jesse James and his gang were highway men, but they were gentlemen, compared with the highway robbery that has been going on in Glenwood for some time. The party that has been doing the robbing in Glenwood is the Glenwood Electric Light & Power Co., a St. Cloud corporation. Several people in Glenwood have spoken to us about how they have ben held up by this company, but we shall speak from our own experience:

We have a heating element on our typesetting machine. For a while we had a flat rate. A year ago the company put a meter in. At first their charges were reasonable as they were only around $18 a month for the heating element and about $25 total for light, motor and machine heat. But the company got bolder. Although the heating element in our typesetting machine is used about the same monthly, the company has been adding to their charges. This month the charges on the heating element alone was $30.91, and the total bill for the lights and motors, which did not exceed the minimum of $4.50, amounted to $44.41, or about twice the amount we were charged a year ago.

Of late we have made some investigations and we find that we are charged six times as much for the rate on our heating element as is charged for current in other places. We have also discovered that this same company has different rates in other towns.

Evidently the people of Glenwood must look like easy marks the way the St. Cloud corporation is fleecing us. We for one, will not stand for it. We are going to wage war because we do not believe that highway robbery is very respectful. We shall appreciate to hear from others who have grievances against this corporation. Something can be done and will be done. There are other power companies that will be willing to come here and charge us a fair rate. A man who moved to Glenwood from Hancock, told us that he had 20 lights in his building and that he had a three-burner cook stove, and still his charges were less than $4.00 a month. Under the rate that we are paying in Glenwood this would at least amount ot $30. The company was the Otter Tail Power company of Fergus Falls.

What should be done is call a mass meeting of all those that are interested and ask the St. Cloud company for a fair rate. If they refuse, we can then invite some outside company to come in here and give us service- without robbing its customers.

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From the Glenwood Herald, Thursday, March 6, 1924. 

Lisle Bennett, one of the early pioneers of the county, died yesterday morning at the home of his son John in this city. The cause of his death was heart trouble. He would have been 79 years old next month. Funeral services will be held here Saturday from the Congregational church at about 1 o’clock. We hope to have a more extended account of his life and activities in our next issue.

For the purpose of securing additional members for the Ladies Auxiliary of the American Legion it was decided to divide the membership into two teams under the leadership of Mrs. Dalquist and Mrs. Kalton. The teams were to make a drive for new members and the losers were to entertain the winners after the contest was over. Mrs. Kalton’s team lost by a narrow margin and on Tuesday evening, March 4th, the members of Mrs. Kalton’s team staged a party for the winners at the city hall. The evening was spent in playing games after which a lunch was served. The drive netted a great many new members and the Auxiliary is now prepared to carry out its program for the disabled soldiers of the World War.

A great treat is in store for the lovers of books who are on earth two hundred years from now. They will have a fresh story written by Mark Twain. Persons living nowadays never will know what the master wrote in this story, for it is sealed and is not to be read or published until two centuries have elapsed.

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From the Starbuck Times, Friday, March 7, 1924. 

Ole Hagestuen sold his restaurant on Wednesday to H. I. Mattison of Appleton. Mr. Mattison will take possession on April 1. Mr. Mattison was formerly in the restaurant but of late years has been working in the mill at Appleton. Mr. Hagestuen has not decided just what he will do after leaving the restaurant.

At the meeting of the West Fron Ladies’ Aid in the hall, Monday, February 25th, the members of the East Fron and Starbuck Aids and the Thimble Bee were also asked to be present. A plan brought before these organizations together with the Young Peoples’ Society have around $3,000 cash available in their combined treasuries. It would seem that such a sum should be fairly good beginning in the work for a basement. These organizations have worked hard for many years so that, besides giving away large sums to church work at home and elsewhere, these funds have accumulated to this extent. It has also been the general wish of the members that they at some time might be able to provide a basement for the use of the congregation.