Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-19
PASADENA'S SEWER PIPES.
Mr. j. @. Daily Writes n Letter
About Them.

About Them.
EDITORS HERALD: l see L am charged
by Pasadena papers with inspiring or
contributing the article of your paper
which called out this comment ON the
sewer matters. 1t is unfair to me.
will not question the motive, or say they
would Intentionally do me an injustice,
but will assure them that no word or
act of mine will ever prejudice the inter
ests of the Grown of the Valley. l will
always seek to promote and rejoin in the
fullest measure OF her prosperity.
Feeling my position unnecessarily
brought into question, 1 will, like
Othello, "a plain, unvarnished tale un-
fold," that all who wish, may judge of
my relations to the question.
Several gentlemen interested in the
sanitary welfare of Pasadena, and, as |
believe, desirous of patronizing a new
home industry, had called at my Office
in reference to furnishing sewer pipes for
the procedure had been followed to au-
| thorize the bonds. we would furnish the
pipes-the price to be agreed upon. After
LudUy COuNtESdllODb Ou LltlS buDJCCt Will
different gentlemen, transcript of the
proceedings was submitted and examined
| by me. / felt convinced that Pasadena
bonds were good. [ know that Pasadena
| is able to pay all that she obligates her.
self to pay, and that the integrity of her
citizens is unquestionable. The directors
of the company l represent had decided
| to sell the pipe to Pasadena and accept
l kho h1,,do should fho oftnrnouu nj ntlr
company report favorably on them as a
business proposition. With municipal
bonds, it is not always question of abil-
ity and integrity. As interests change
and questions arise, it is well to know
that the tax levy TO pay bonds can be
enforced. This is quite as essential as
the authority to issue, and this
question simply occurred to me
when the question finally took the shape
of assigning to US a contract partly per-
formed, for which we were asked to pay
cash for a balance due and we take bonds
for our cash. As was our right,we aske d
questions which were answered truth
fully and unhesitatingly by some of the
persons interesting themselves in this
matter. l expressed my opinion on this
subject to few of the gentlemen, and
if they saw Git to give it publicity, it was
but common courtesy in me to answer q
gentleman representing a responsible
Journal such questions as were propound-
ed. have no desire to assail other pro-
ductions. All commodities find their
true value in the hands of competent
Judges, and if the people of Pasadena are
satisfied "and the COW also" that "the
dip.glazsd pipe which went into our
main sewers is, therefore, as good
as the ealt.glazed which we used
for part of the work" / am content
but when a city officer-if correctly re.
ported-expresses the hope THAT we
may get this contract by open competi-
ton and fair means, and not by pre-
judicing the public,"I must protest. |
have never hoard that contract is TO be
let, and certainly if Pasadena is to let a
contract it will be as provided by law,
when we will gladly compete--openly
and by fair means. l had understood
that we were asked to sell pipe to finish
la contract that for some reason { p hangs
fire, and when asked to take an assign
ment of that contract, we objected and
stated the reasons why. OF course, II the
law which requires the estimate, char
acter of and necessity for public munich
pal improvements for which bonds are
to issue. to be set forth in the ordinance
calling for an election for such purpose
and requiring two-thirds vote to author
ize the issue has no bearing on the case
why l am wrong, and perhaps 1 did
wrong in refusing an assignment
, Of the contract, but surely
; the Pasadena papers should not say as 8
!. fact that the article in your paper was in
spired by Los Angeles sewer pipe com
pany for selfish purposes, because tolC
gentleman of Pasadena that would de
= cline to take all assignment ofa contract
, and for the reason that supposed tina
) the general law had some influence. 1
+. the people OF that city had voted to issu
: bonds for "vitrifed salt-glazed pipe
as set forth to be the character of tn,
} work in the ordinance calling the cleo
I ton, and it will make no difference as t
: the character of the work after the bond
) are signed then the law has no influence
/ and, as 1 say, am wrong. But to sa
/. there is no difference between salt'glaze
. lvitrifed sewer pipe and dip-glazed pip