ABSTRACT
The subject of one of the oldest of Oberlin's recurring issues is municipal ownership of the local supply of electric power. It is noteworthy that in all the controversy and passion aroused by this issue in the last seventy years, not once have Oberlin's citizens and public servants been lured from the pursuit of the lowest possible electric bill by arguments about the "tendency of municipal ownership to breed corruption in local politics," "moral obligation" to a private exploiter, or the inherent inefficiency of a "one-horse outfit." This is noteworthy because seventy years of controversy seem to show us quite plainly what the real issue is, and where to look for the deciding factor when the issue crops up.
