Daily Republican., 1883-11-20
Caey COuncil and the water Com
mission.

mission is to be argued at the present
term of Court, it is not expected that a
decision will be arrived at before the
first of next year, and probably much
later. Even then there other resorts
which may prolong settlement Of the
question until after the next State cleo
tion and possibly much longer. There
is, however, one way left By which the
question can be settled SO far as occu-
pancy is concerned within the space OF
= little more than six months. That
plan will be by the city election which
takes place the first Saturday Of June.
II the Democrats carry majority OF
the City Council that will put an end to
the contest so far as possession is COLI
cerned, but it will in no way interfere
with the legal point at issue in the con-
test
But will the Democrats carry the
next city election is the question How
shal 1.-The question be answered? Poll
tics is very uncertain and slippery
thing, hard to get hold of, and hard to
hold when we have it, but if the city
votes at the next election as the Demo
cratic Legislature intends that 1t shall
vote, the City Council will be Democrat
ic. This is admitted by the leaders, and
rank and file of both parties. The Re-
publicans only hold the City Council
now by virtue of having in 1882 carried
two Democratic wards-the Second and
the Thirdly the personal popularity OF
their candidates, Mr.. Eastburn in the
Second and Mr. johnson in the Third,
fthis cannot be done again, or ifone al
least cannot be carried by the Republi
cans, then the City Council will be
Democratic and the water works vii
quietly fall into the hands of the Water
Commission at an additional expense
of some thirty thousand dollars to tht
taxpayers Of the city. By Democratic
gerrymandering the city is divided into
political sections, all above Sixth street
being Republican and all below thai
street being Democratic. But here il
where the injustice Of the Democratic
Eerrymander comes in at. That parI
of the city above Sixth street is divided
into only five wards while below Sixtl
street there are six wards. As there
are two CounCilmen elected from eacl
ward this division gives the Republi
cans only ten sure members while til,
Democrats have twelve, and twelve
beats Ten all the time. The inequality
of this division is further shown by tn,
fact that the five Republican ward:
have some three thousand larger popu
lation than the six Democratic ward.
and nearly a thousand more voters.
This is the result of what the Demo
Gratis call fair and bipartisan legisla
tion. If the wards vote the way til,
Democrats intend them to vote, there
will always lie a Democratic majority
in the City Council Of one, conCeding
the President to the Republicans ,ant
this is the way the next City CUunci
will stand unless the Republicans carry
= Democratic ward. That there vii
be sharp contest is inevitable, and i
is also rendered tolerably certain tina
the sharpest Of the contest will be il
the Second and Third wards and Their
is no Disgusting the fact tina. the wate
works will be a prize in the contest
If the people are willing that the Wate
Commission shall take charge of TN
water works at All additional expeus
to the tax payers, they will put the Dem
ocrats in power, hut if they want the
water work. TO be conducted econnmi
cally and judiciously az they now are
and if they want to reserve the control o
them in their own hands they will kee,
the Republican party III power.
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