The Evansville journal., 1870-08-02


Evansville MOzOp0lICs and MOn0pO-
lists Discussed By enc CT Them.
Editors Journal;
For months past, at various times,
have been urged by friends to ex-
plode the absurd and multitudinous
lies and humbugs which have so long
infested the town upon the subject oil
monopolies, monopolists, /" "op-
position to Water Works, y" attempts
to gobble up the Water Works by a
private company" &C.. &C., in all Of
which my name has been given the
prominent position.
On my own account / have not
cared, and do not now care, TO give
them any attention. l certainly do
not regard il to my diseredit to be
charged with being one of the very
limited few of the citizens of Evans
vile who have been willing to con-
tribute their own private means TO
aid in prblic enterprises necessary TO
the growth and prosperity of the city,
aud that is just what all these charges,
when filtered and relieved Of tur-
BA4Atys 0MGUug NOs
Again, as it seemed the fixed and
settled opinion of these new-light,
latter day agitators for Water Works,
that they could only succeed in in
ducing the people to entrust them
with the enterprise By the use of my
name as a sort of : deaths head and
cross bones to fright them into the
measure, had neither interest nor
inclination to balk them. True. /
would have preferred my fellow eiti
zens had been governed in the matter
by common sense and reason; still. if
there was no other way of persuading
them to their own best interest than
humbug, / was content they should
be humbugged. / long since recog-
nized and attempted to demonstrate
the great importance of Water Works
to the welfare of our city. And when
reason and argument, and facts and
figures, proved Ineffective, / was well
content. I repeat, that the people
should be tricked into doing as near
the right thing as possible, even by
the humbuggiDg lie that. unless they
did, l and my associate plotters against
the welfare of the city, stood ready to
make of the Water Works another
grinding monopoly, like that justly
Odious Gas Monopoly!
But the game as becoming monot.
onous and tiresome, and / am com
pelled TO admit that it as about time
il was played out, especially as the
parties who have palmed this win
ming card. show an occasional dispo-
sition to use 1t for purposes not war
ranted by the original concession.
II propose, now, 10 take a glance at
this interesting game as it stands.
During the canvass which proceeded
our last city election, in which for
reasons of my own, / took less inter.
est, or part, than 10 any election since
/ was a voter, l was surprised tc
learn that parties were perambulatipl
the streets inviting citizens to sign 4
call for a meeting to further the
ereeticn of Water Worxs by the
city, and to prevent another mon.
opoly," and telling them thai
it was necessary to take immediate ac-
tion if they would defeat the plans OF
myself and others, to obtain private
charter, and make another monopo.
w." This baseless and senseless lie
was of course c0ncocted with the
view of iDjuriDg the chances of the
gentlemen who were then running on
the Republican ticket for Councilmen
/ attended that meeting, and de.
nounced it, and those who fabricated
and circulated it, In the terms they
deserved. Upon the motion of those
In whose interest it was got up
DR.. Bray Wos called to the chair
and, In stating the object of the
meeting, very singularly, the DIR. took
occasion to avoW himself in favor o.
the very monopoly the meeting was
called to save the city from. He said
unqualli6edly. that In his opinion
was best for the interests of the cit
that wealthy citizens should take holC
of the enterprise in conjunction will
the city, and proceeded to give YER
excellent reasons In support OF tn
opinion. While / concurred In thi
view-as / believe every citizen, VIII
is capable of managing his own at
fairs without the intervention of
guardian, and who will intelligent
IN examine the subject. will
eoneur-I took the ground tha
it was impossible in Evansville
"a get taken any such amour
Of private stock, as the DIR. proposed
and that, therefore. the only practica
BILE way in which Water Works coul
be secured was to let the city bull
them at Its entire expense; and, o.
my motion the meeting resolved il
fnvor of Water Works to be built an
owned by the city, provided its bond
could be sold for the purpose withou
too great sacrifice.
One would have supposed that thi
was enough to put an end to any or
binary lie. But it did not eve
scotch this one. From that ds
to this, in season and out of season
upon the occurrence of every ne
phase of the Water Works questior
wherever a lie would fit in, or coul,
be imagined, one has been ready. I
every objection to every measure of tn
present proprietors of this enterpris
as a political capital, whether ths
objection was to letting the contraC
without bid or competition. or to pre-
curing the water below the sewerae
Of the city, or to anything else, tn
one uniform, undertaking answer ha
been monopoly Gas Compan
monopoly" Street Railroad NOR
opoly "a Water Works monopoly!
Monopoly, monopoly"
Right here / desire to state, brief
as possible, just what foundation i
truth there is for all this noise an
oln~or