San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-12-03
The waterworks and Corporations,

Even corporations have rights under
the law. which the courts are bound TO
protect from unj just attack and lawless
demagogueism. One OF the most de-
cidedly pOrIentOus signs ofthe present
tendency TO AmeriCanism consists In the
sweeping and violent war that Is waged
against corporations. Let us consider
for a moment what a large proportion
OF the property and wealth of the United
States IL owned by corporations OF one
sort or other, and then reflect how much
these corporations have done to develop
the latent resources and to augment the
wealth OF the entire country, and we
will cease to regard corporations, per
Sc, with feeling of rancorous hostility.
Nearly all the large newspapers in the
Union are corporations. When large
sum of money is requisite 10 start an
enterprise or business, experience has
shown most ConClusively that II cannot
be raised except by joint stock COM
pany, with the attribute Of perpetuity
communicated to it by corporate
franchises. The railroads could not
have been built save by cor
pOrations. The railroad to Arkansas
was built by corporation. by means of
money borrowed from another corpora
tiOn, organized expressly for the pur-
pose Ol llhhluR lOdIh III lhTRt sums.
Have either of these corporations In
jured the public by the construction of
the railroads to the gulf? Most I'M
questionably not. SO far from it, they
have signalIy benefited the public. The
Building and Loan associations in san
Antonio are corporations, and while
they are not even quasi benevolent and
disinterested Institutions, they have
essentially contributed to the growth
and prosperity of San Antonio by
enabling men to build homes in which
to live, who but for such aid could not
have built them. Many poor man now
has comfortable house 10 live in, by
reason OF the aid afforded him by these
Loan associations, which are reimbursed
in monthly payments. Are We to quar-
rel with these associations and wage
war upon them merely because they
happen to be corporations and TO realize
handsome profits from their business? I
say no.
Men are not perfect by u great deal
Corporations beng the handlwork OF
human beings and managed and opera
ted by men, are liable to fall into seri-
GUS mistakes and to slide into oppres-
sion In some of it's many forms. Infalli-
bility is not an attribute OF human crea-
lures, since IL has it's source In impecGa-
bility. All the works of man are imper-
feet. Even editors are By no means
infallible in their judgment about
things.
Corporations should be judged with
justice, and checked when they abuse
their franchises. Within the present
year, fifty railroads have been placed in
the hands OF receivers simply because
they were hOpelessly involved in debt,
. hn., de iN,,l ItTI
sure railroads for not paying higher
wages to such as they employ, and BY so
doing virtually arrOgate the right of
debating what wages they should pay.
There seem TO be persons in San An.
tonic who are troubled with wafer
on the brain. and who have
sort of dementia about the waterwOrks
company. This company is, in their
view, the vampire that is Sucking the
life blood out of the citizens of San An.
tonic and preventing the growth Of the
city. Cato, are told by history closed
every speech that he delivered in the
Roman senate, with the statement that
Carthage must be destroyed and we
appear to have in San Antonio. individ-
uals that have only one object in view
and that can sing but one song, viz: the
"waterwOrks must by hook or crook be
owners" A stranger hearing ali this
chatter, clamor and clap trap, would
conceive that the people of our city were
the victims Of water famine willfully
and maliciOusly brought about ny the
waterwOrks company to enhance the
price of water. But the city pays this
"hOrseleech" corporation $4,000 annu-
ally for water with which TO sprinkle
the streets and for extiBguishing fires.
Did these persons ever cipher out how
many gallons the city uses in
sprinkliDg the streets in the course of q
year? 1t is likely il uses 1000 gallons
daily. or 100000 gallons per year for
sprinkling Of the streets. And one fire
would probably consume an equal guam
tity.
Philadelphia constructed waterworks
at cost of fifteen millions of dollars
and has owned and managed them from
their completion, yet they have been SO
inefficiently and cOrruptly managed that
she is seriously talking about selling
them out and then making contract
with the purchaser to supply the city
with water. Memphis also owned and
managed her own waterworks, yet she
found 1t better to sell them, and so re-
Gently sold them for 100000. With
these notorious facts staring them full
in the face, there are individuals In San
Antonio who seem H. imminent danger
of pulling up the lunatic asylum unless
San Antonio acquires the waterworks.
Is il a mono-mania?
The experience of Philadelphia and
Memphis is light house for us and
other cities. ToNEY.