Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-07-30
CLINCHER.
What Water did for Leayenw0rth, Kan.
Facts from the Pen OF a LIVE
Business Man.

Facts from IN rem vi LifO
Business Man.
Correspondence of the Ledger.
LEAvENwoRTH, KAs., July "a, 1889.
BoB-Upon perusal OF your
excellent sheet / see that the ques-
tons of w~aterworks and electric light
are occupying the minds OF the eiu-
zens of Mexico at this writing. AS
a resident of hat place and n who
takes a great interest in the welfare
of our little city I do not deem it out
of place to express my OPINION upon
a question the decision OF which will,
in my estimation, determine the fu-
ture of Mexico. l have always been
an advocate of waterworks in Mexico.
Everyone knows that at some time or
other we must have them and the
longer their construction is delayed
the longer we delay the progress OF
our city. 1t seems that everyone in
Mexico has always been in favor Of
water, providing suitable arrange
ments could be effected, and now
that an excellent PROPOSITION has been
made for the construction of a CON-
plete system there is no reason why
| we should longer do without it. l
know that it is an excellent system
for it is now in use in this city. Up
to a few years ago Leavenworth laid
no claim to be more than a country
village, for it's citizens had remained
inactive and allowed surrounding
towns to monopolize every enterprise
which would have made it a city.
Indeed it was their inactivity that
allowed Kansas City to rise from a
small obscure village to the busiest
city in the west. At last the people
here awoke to find out that they must
do something. Money must be ex-
pended to secure lasting benefits.
The first move was to erect water.
} works at a great outlay to induce
manufacturers to locate here. Be
fore their erection there was not
factory to speak of in the city. To
day it is the greatest manufacturing
town between the Mississippi rive
and the Rocky mountains. People
who then in their old fogyism op
: posed their construction / now fire.
to confess that it was the best am
first step in the right direction. TIL
) citizeps-s Mexico, which is an in
L land town, cannot expect capital t
l be invested there when a river tow
was unable to induce it without som
5 action. No town can ever hope t
become a city without improvement:
q We all know that. We must hay
o them. Which is preferable, issuin
bonds to the amount of $4,000
IS 500, 900, upon which interest mus
be paid by extra tax, and erecting il
y ferior works, the repairs of which
le twenty years will amount to mo
he than the original cost, or accepting
at proposition such as has been offere
and expanding $4,000 a year of
public fund for such an improy
ment? The erection of waterwor
'h with a "wind-mill force and a tai
e, capacity" is child's play. Such
III system might supply Mexico at pre-
ent, but we expect her to grow. S
will not, / hope, always remain as
y, present, and we must look out for t
al future. If w~aterworks are erected
IT. Mexico manufactures are SURE to
cate there and it is the laboring cls
ad far more even than the farming CO
mt munity that assures the success
LIST any city. Of the thirty thousand
his habitants of Leavenworth fully 60
OF are mechanics and laborers in f,
tories which waterworks have broue
here. 1 think that there is no to-
int in the Union which has a system
mic waterworks that cannot boast of
re: least two large factories OF mach
or shops of some description. Of cou
ent other improvements are necessa
but this is the first. It will be a
day for Mexico if this measure
defeated. At last our council
TO done its duty and u citizens v
adj have SO long clamored about 'w
the our city fathers are doing with
GRO revenue" and our so-called lead
and enterprlsing lei can have
more cause for complaint. Thi.
raj must be pushed. There must be
MS delay. Leavenworth could have b
{ at what Kansas City is to-day but
dor the old fogyism of its citizens.
was the refusal of the citizens
Leavenworth years ago to erect wa
ere works that determined the direct
ere of the Union Pacific R. r. to m
, of the terminus of the road at Kar
.ho City instead of this place. W
vi. this town has lost by that refusal
OF never be regained, while it Is a knit
ant fact that the date of placing the e
hen terminus at Kansas City marks
rcd beginning of that city's Gees
q city of $500 souls cannot affor
'oei expend $500 a month for waterwt
tam it should, as you say, "be plowed
hort and planted in onions" A loss
DIST. fire of 10000 or SIP 900 in the l
,on- three years will more than cover
cost Of a preventative, but as l
? ~ pose they had rather have a resp
and able confagration than a system