Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-05-04
THE WATERWORKS.

Like clap Of thunder from clear sky
comes the report Of secret meeting to
boom the sale Of the .wsterworks to pri-
vate parties.
Why should the ownership and control
OF the works be transferred from the peo-
pie to private parties2
According 10 the report of the meeting
in yesterdays issue OF TIE GAzErTE the
following are the arguments in favor OF
the sale:
After Mr.. Nicks had been in consultation
with the Mayor for some little rime, or rather
| after The Mayor had shown Alderman NIcke
facts and figures and had told him that An Al
derN An had been paid 500 to vote for the ppr.
chase of ,he works t.a,d Alderman not now q
citizen Of Fort WORTH ard how = newspaper
NAV (rot now living in sort WORTH was to get
Sc for wo done, and how Hoasett & Greene
had been paid SGol to give the city the opinion
that certain scrs 10 connection with the pur-
chase could mot legally be done, and how City
A. orney Swayne ha given tha same advice,
and how Alder an T tum WAS In favor OF
| selling the watarworkf, and how ". P. Tnoma.
was in favor Of selling the aterworks, and
how every one who had had Anything to do
with the wsterworls was in favor of selling
them, and how mucn the City WAS losing every
day on the waterworks, Alderman Barr came
in. and later Aldermen Tatum and Trippett
The ground Was gone over again, and the fg-
ures obtained by Secretary Early after six
month hard work showing what he worls I'D
cost and what additions the city had made,
which figures are open at all times to any and
all aldermen at the city hall were laid bare at
this use cres" meeting. The expressed opinion
OF alderman Barr was that the question ought
| to be settled one way or the other as soon as
possible. Alderman Trippett put it this way
If you have horse worth $3.50 and you are Of
fered $500 you will SELL"
What has the sale of the works to the
city years ago to do with the sale OF the
works by tho city now2 What has the al
legged bribery OF aldermen and newspapers
years sgo to do with the value OF the
works 10 the city now? What has the
advice Of lawyers and q city attorney,
that the eale TO the city was illegal, to do
with the expediencY Of the sale by the
city noW7 II these are the arguments OF
the advocates Of the sale by the city now,
why do they not propose to set aside the
sale and return the works to the parties
who sold the works to the city? II the
proposition WAS to put on trial the alder
men and newspapers accused of boodling.
or if 1t was to set aside sn illegal sale,
there might be some force in these
arguments" but, otherwise, they are
irrelevant to the main question, Shall
Fort Worth sell its waterworks2
What have the people to do with the
opinion or preference of Mr.. Ta.um, Mr..
Thomas, or any other gentleman, unless
coed and sufficient reasons are given In
support OF such opinion or preference?
Mr.. Tstum and Mr.. Thomas have . right
to favor the sale of the works, and the
people have right to favor or oppose
such sale, but 1. is no argument in favor
Of the sale that any individual sdvo-
Gates It.
The question is, as 1t has thus suddenly
been sprung upon the people, Shall the
works be solds and the only argument in
favor Of the sale that deserves the slight
est attention is the statement that the
city viii lose money by running the works.
II the city win lose money, why DO In