Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-10-17
NIB. WINSOR AND THE WATER
WORKS.

construction of the waterwOrks. In nearly
all the articles published by him in the last
six months he has brought in my name in a
manner that has been entirely uuwarrantable
and uncalled for. have not nswered them
because of a dislike on my part to be drawn
into a newspaper controversy, and have
therefore rather suffered from his remarks
and insinuatioDs than to obtain notoriety by an
answer through the newspaper. But silence
has ceased to become q virtue and 1t seems to
me that an answer Is necessary at this time.
Ii Mr.. Wilson had taken the pains to in
quire he would have found out, before his
article was published, that l was neither an
officer nor director in the Water Company,
having resigned those positions, and when he
says that its officer is illegally in the council
for the purpose of making the city commit
itself by making a payment on an expired
contract, he commits y great error and does
me great injustice. No council has ever pro-
posed to make any payment on the contract,
and no leaning in that way has ever been
shown in or out of the council. When the
Water Company proposed OUTSIDE OF Its con.
tract, as it plainly stated, that the city should
pay $3.50 per month for the water while they
were building a new tower, there was not. q
voice in the council to advocate it, not q vote
to agree to 1t. These are facts OF record.
There is one unanimous voice In the councli,
that the Water COMPANY must comply strict
ly with its contract, and no man in or out of
the council stands more firmly on that ground
than 1 do, and l have always expressed that
sentiment in public aud in private.
1t is q very unfortunate thing IN this or
any community where u man stands out prom
lnently to advocate any great public improve
ment, that he il bounded around by those
who oppose him and the improvements in
such q manner that the barking becomes
intOlerabie. In this case the sound never
ceases. The echo of ore bark scarcely dies
away before another yell is heard.
The waterworks were owned at first by
Mr.. Jones. q citizen Of Kansas, the c%ontrac-
tor, and before he could legally organize an
incorporated company, under the laws OF
the state OF Missouri. it was necessary that .
certain number of citizens of the state should
be stockholders. MIR. Jones therefore to com
ply with the laws of Missouri, transferred
one share of stock each to Mr.. McGrew, MIR.
Hoffman and myself. Neither Of those men
/ ever paid one dollar for the stock but only
| held it ut the request OF Mr.. Jones that = legal
| board of directors might be elected. Whiie
| the one share of stock is legally held
by each one Of them, in equity
no pecuniary interest whatever in the sue
| cess or downfall of the Lexington Water
| Company. I presume MIR. Wilson has NOW
this all the time. He might have known it
if lie had inquired Of any one OF these stock,
| holders. This being the case wherein am l
ineligible as councilman, under the clause
which says, 'sNO councilman shall be direct
ly or Indirectly interested in any contract
under the cltyW I am not Interested in any
contract to the amount Of one cent. l re-
pudiate with sc0rn, the statement that L am
in the council for the pun pose Of making the
city council commit itself by making a pay
ment on AN expired contract.
The question whether the contract has ex-
pired or not Is q legal one, which the council
1 cannot, and In all probability will not de-
eide, without the opinion Of the best legal
talent in our city. The Time has not come
for that ISSUE, and will not come until the
works shall have been completed and the
annual rental demanded.
1t lily behooves Mr. Geo. Wilson to be max
Ing imaginary statements 30 often through
the papers about the public d of one OF
our old respected citizens who came here be.
fore he was born, aud who has always main
tanned . standing and reputation equal to the
best.
cannot account for it, only on the ground
Of u morbid desire to appear in the public
prints.
Only a few days ago I heard a stranger
who was visiting our city say, Il have been
many Of George Wilson'S cranky articles In
the Bankers Magazine that 1 had to go and
see him."
Our citizens appreciate his writing in our
city papers very much like this gentleman
When the proposition was made to the clti-
1 ZcuS W ACAlu6tOA " ouiI0 sAO q
almost every man, woman and child seemed
10 rejoice at the prospect, and gladly leaped
forth to the support of the project. Why
Because they saw and recognized the fact thai
we needed the water, and that other towns
around US in Missouri and Kansas, Of Oul
size had or were getting waterworks, anC
that unless Lexington seized this OppOrtuni-
" and secured this boon, we would fall be.
mind our sister cities in the race for posi-
lion and prosperity.
When the matter was presented to the
Gil, there were three propositions, one from
Reader one from Perkins and one from Jones
The council referred the three propositions tt
\ select committee Of three, of which l wa
chairman.
The subject was all new to US, and tn
committee went earnestly to work to get al
the possible. and to decide which
was the best proposition, and whether an.
J one of them was as good as, or better than
, other cities around US had. We wrote an,
obtained the contracts made by more than
dozen cities in Missouri and Kansas, an,
after close examination and inspection, W
selected from all of them those point:
{ and conditions which we considered mos
advantageous to our city land embodied then
IN our contract. The competition was s.
sharp that we got many concessions and de
auctions that were very advantageous to on
city.
After the whole was completed and tn
J contract with Mr., Jones signed, we consider
ed that every point had been well guarde,
for our interest, and that we had q contrac
far more advantageous to our city and peOpl
than any of the other towns around us. Tn
only fear on my part was that 1t Was so favor
, able to US that it might not be carried to com
pletiOn, and I assert to-day, that If the con
tract be carried out according to its terms
we will lave water works far superio
to any city in Missouri or Kansas of on
, size.
The proposition was twice submitted to
vote OF. our people, and twice did they ratif
e it by an overwhelming vote of about nine
tenths. This great unanimity is 8 eldOm OBJ
tanned for any proposition. We considere
1t q proud day for Lexington when it wa
settled and determined that we should hav
D water works. And to-day, when we begi
n to enumerate to strangers the advantages {
{ Lexington, the first among the enterprise
. we name the water works, then the gas, an
r the street railway and the paved and macad
. amized streets. And yet you find men i
our midst like Mr.. George Wilson, continual
growing and grumbling and crying dow
Q the Water Company and those who did $
{ much work to OBTAIN for Lexington the bes
contract possible for the building of thes
works. Our citizens do not endorse thes
publications, and they do Mr. Wilson n
good.
If Mr.. Jones did delay and blunder,
10 no fault of the contract. One thing is Ger
u tain. 30 far MS 1 am concerned, and L thin
the entire council and the mayor concu
r therein, that the Water Company must com
ply fully and completely with their contra,
g before a single dollar will be paid by the cit
as rental.
The question whether or not the contrat
+ has been fully complied with, cannot fairl
be presented for the consideration of tn
y council until the works are announced 8
completed, aud the money rental demanded
q When It does come up, doubtless the cOunci
= will also take advantage of the best legs
opinions and act fairly and justly and fc
the best interests of the city.