Wichita daily eagle., 1886-07-13
COUNCIL SIEGE.

yesseIuAys II Was su0 4seesoA1 W sANo S"y
and was discussed pro and con by the many.
As the evening approached moro interest be-
came manifested and as well may be sus-
pected quite number had gathered at the
council chamber to witness the call of the
council from the beginning.
While the crowd was impstiently awaiting
the appearance of each councilman was
greeted with either smile or frown,which
was regulated by the idea the donor
had concerning the way be would vote on
the leading question OF the evening. Final
ly the preparatory scenes were all enacted
and the mace in the hands Of the mayor fell
upon the tables and confusion wilted into
silence, and the roll call resulted in finding
al present excepting councilmsn Hof,
Chivington and Harris.
The moment had arrived; the intensely
interesting subject of water works was in
troduced. The ordinance was returned by
his honor the mayor, and the belief thst be
would not sign it and the report in the
last few days that he hsd not
was now proved to be true. He clearly
demonstrated that to the last OF the ordi-
nance he was unable to write his name. He,
however. accompanied the return Of the
ordinance with manuscript giving reasons
for his action. It was res1 by the clerk
while the many present preserved the most
profound silence. The different expressions
depicted upon the countensnces of those
present were the loudest demonstrations
made. These were more varied and
marked as the clerk drew near
the end and when completed each
one seemed to catch long bresth and
then enter upon another period of silence to
hear who would be the first member to
chirp and what would be the result.
The veto message is given in full and is as
follows:
To the Honora bic City Council OF tn. City Of
GENTLEMEN:-I herewith return to you
ordinance No. $40, "Granting to Francis
Tiernan, bis associates and assigns, the
right to construct, maintain and operate
water works in the City of Wichita, Kan,
and contracting for supply OF water to
extinguish ere, for domestic, sanitary and
other purposss," without my approval. In
doing 20 I am actuated by sense of duty
which think is due to the large portion of
citizens who are Taxpayers as well a. to-
wards myself, acting under oath to protect
their best interests. 1 do not insinuate that
the gentlemen who voted afirmstively for
the franchise did not have q just and honor
ablo appreciation and opinion regarding the
necessity Of this city being supplied with bet
ter water facilities. With them on that point
l most heartily concur and am decidedly
in favor Of composition and public improve
ment when it is practicable; but when our
bonded Indebtedness and current expenses
are constantly sxhausting our revenue funds
and seriously interfering with the progress
Of public Improvements that are absolutely
necessary TO promote the prosperity Of e
city, growing and developing as fss: as the
City of Wichita, it behooves US TO be e1-
tremely cautious and exercise sound judg-
ment and discretion in everything pertaining
to increasing our city indebtedness, as the
city is now passing . critical period IN its
history. 1t is in a transitory stage, passing
from q vigorous inland town to city OF
metropolitan proportions. improvements
radical and expensive will necessarily crowd
upon us-curbing. gathering and paving our
streets, q more thorough and costly fire dc
partment and many other channels of OK
pense are constantly being opened up and
crowning all in its Importance, IS tho qucs-
ton Of how to promote the health OF the
inhabitants and the question of sewer
age, which We shall soon have TO
deal with. All these Improvements,
il constructed, will make taxes high and
and have a tendency to deprscinte the valu-
OF real estate and other property. II thsree
fore behooves US, as all these questions OF
the city's best interest present themselves, to
carsfully, judiciously and deliberately inves-
tigate eyerv proposition involving increased
taxation, and to give the city the benefit Of
the same business Judgment, and fidelity,
and strict integrity, that We devote to our
private affairs. The bill before me when
weighed BY such a standard, does not COM
mend itself to me favorably as a proposition
involving an expenditure Of nine thousand
dollars per snnum for twenty-one years.
necessitating An additional tax upon our
present assessed valuation of two and one
half mills. 1t seems to me to be . matter Of
great importance, and should be kept before
the council long enough for mature consid-
Grafton, and to give the public an opportu-
nity to be heard upon it. 1t also appears to
me that before obligating itself further on
the matter of water rental, either to the
present water company or to any new COM
pany, the city shall seriously consider the
propriety OF owning and operating its own
water works. A sewerage system will un-
doubtedly be established in q few years,
provided the city increases in population IS
rapidly as it has in the past; the system of
sewerage that has been recommended by all
of the engineers that have made aprotile, is
what i, known rs the flush system. The
CITY will necessarily become o large con-
sumner for flushing purposes. To gain some
idea of the magnitude and the amount of
revenue that water company would desire
from the city for this purpose, | will reci.s
the result of twenty-five days flushing
through the meter located in the Beacon
building. As An experiment, the water
company, at my request, run a stream OF
water from thrse-quarter inch tap through
the meter twenty-five days. The total
number of gallons in that time was ak
millisns forty thousand and fivo
hundred (s,040,500). This amount
of water at minimum prices
fixed in the ordinance before me. to-wit:
Twenty cents per 1000 gallons, would
have cost the city S55 per day, and this TO
flush but single sewer. This you will se3
is 20 expensive that We would be left entirely
at their mercy, while 1t is probably true
that in some details the operation of water
works by the city would not be as econom-
ical as BY . private company, and that po-
litical Affiliations and favoritism would tend
more or less TO corrupt practices; yet, upon
the whole, l am of the firm opinion that We
should have a. q result: First, better quail
ity Of water; Second, q more efficient fire
protection; Third, vastly redused expense
TO the city, as well as to the patrons; Fourth,
beading off of further propositions for
water works and sewerage that are liable to
come up in the form of dangerous and cor
rupt schemes; Fifth, silsncing of the bitter
complaints that are made agsins: private
water companies, and whether true or false,
are de.riment TO the city property and in
lures il materially in the minds OF strangers
and people coming TO the city looking for
rroperty and homes. | will state ,hs,
have come TO the conclusion, after having
read the reports of other cities that own
their own water works, that the report of
Madison, Wisconsin, water works, in my
Judgment. comes the neares: to solving the
problem Is TO what would be the bes. in
terest of this city. 1 have n copy which
sny member Of the council can read. \
careful estimate of the cost Of the works as
they might be built, leads me 10 believe
thai j. need not be over $4,000, while the
rental proposed to be paid BY the city would
nav the interest on $4,000. | believe the