San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-22
THE GREAT ISSUE
DISCUSSED SATURDAY NIGHT.
To Investigate the WaterwOrks-A
Packed Meeting.


Saturday night at about 8 O'Clock the
district court room was well filed with
tax payers and. fair Sprinkling of the
nod- taXpaying element, who had as
bled, anxious to hear through discus
sion of the proposed purchase of the
waterwOrkS by the city. The four or five
hundred people who had crowded into the
comparatively small hall were at last sat-
isied by the appearance of Mr.. f. Groos
who called the meeting to order. Mr..
John A. Green, after some wrangling, was
elected chairman and w. w. Boone was
made the secretary. The chairman stated
that the object of the meeting was
not so much TO pass resolutions as to Sc
cure an interchange of ideas on the mat
ter.
Mr., L. c. GrothauS moved that COM
mttee of seven be appointed by the
chairman who are TO investigate what
might be the advantages and disadvant-
ages of the proposed purchase and report
at an adjourned meeting next Saturday
night, which was then changed to Thurs
day night. A vote was taken and the
chair declared the motion carried.
the decision, out the chair refused TO en-
terrain the appeal.
Mr.. +. GroOS, who was called upon to
speak, gave his reason for his opposition
to the proposed purchase. He was OPP
posed first because the city did not
need them, secondly because the
price is entirely too high. He thought
that if the city needed waterworkS it
could erect system at a less cost. He
argued that if the waterworks were pur-
chased at the proposed price it would in
crease the present tax to the extent of
$3.50 more per $780, doubling our present
rate of taxation for the next ten years
He was opposed to the proposition until
at least the error in the charter requiring
10 per cent sinking fund should be done
away with.
Col Columbus Epson was continually
called for by portion of the audience.
He spoke elO Iuently upon the subject
calling on every man in the city to dis
cuSS and weigh the merits of this queS-
ton. He was in favor of the city owning
not only the waterworkS but the street
railways and sidewalks. He lauded
Bryan Callaghan, much to the edificaton
of City Clerk Claudon and other admin
iStratiOn men who were carefully placed
about the room. He had heard that the
price asked for the waterworkS was high.
Perhaps so, but the fact was that the rich
man and the poor can get his water
cheaper when the city owns it. He re
viewed the history of the company. say
ing that the city owns only a few feet
where Colonel Breckenridge owns several
miles on each side. Some one here in
formed the colonel that the ten minutes
were up. This touched the orator who
demanded to know who that fellow was.
Mr.. j. Y. Dignowity stepped forward,
saying, Il am he, ana my name Is j. V.
DignOwity." He only wanted the colonel
not to take up so much time, in order
that both sides could get just hes ring.
Mr.. Epson continued his speech, say
ing the next legislature would change the
error and therefore the talk of the doub-
ling of tax does not hold. Finishing with
the assertion that the people will get
cheaper water If the city would run
the waterwOrkS, he began to picture the
land that the city would ACQUIRE by the
purchase, in all the flowers of speech at
his command, claiming that the land can
be turned into parks that will attract
millions of dollars and people and then
the tax would not be felt.
For few minutes the place was pande-
mOnium OfcrieS for DignOwity, BergStrOm,
Ogden, Green, etc. Mr.. John A. Green took
the floor, stating that it was merely queS-
tion of price. He was in favor of the city
buying the works if the price be reason
able. He didn't see any reason for paying
s.. 100000 for the works if they can be du-
piicated for $4,000. Even if col. Brack-
enridge would refuse to sell his works, the
courts could be reSOrted to. He was in
favor of the proposition if the price was
cheap, but he was afraid that two million
dollars was too much, aye, twice
too much. He said that if $4,000 per
year was all that was to be gotten
out of the works that it was not enough
20 for ha int 10 10 IN
see the city council withdraw the prOpO-
sitiOn until all of the inside facts are pre-
scented. II am in favor of the purchase if
it can be made at a reasonable price, but
let me warn you, gentlemen, against any
foolish bargain"
More cries ensued for Ogden, Dignowity
and Altgelt. Mr.. Collins here arose and
made the proposition that he would be
one of the ten who would give 500 each
to employ five experts to investigate what
the property would cost and report next
Thursday night. Mr.. Dignowity sec
onded the motion with another 500.
Carried.
The committee appointed consists of +.
f. Collins, f. GrooS, Geo. Altgelt, r. b.
Minor, ChaS. w. Ogden and j. V. DignO-
witty.
There were cries for more speeches, and
Mr.. GrOthauS arose. The adminiStra ele-
ment continued to yell "BergStrom" and
the beautiful Oscar took the stand.
Someone yelled "Vive Callaghan." The
speaker took advantage of the situation
and said that he regarded the man with
scorn who voted for thing because Cal
laghan favored it. He spread tatfy most
Ii berally and spoke vehemently for the city
ownership of the works. He was in favor
of cOndemning them if they could not be
obtained otherwise. He said that the
waterworkS company started the plant
when the success it has obtained was not
so apparent and therefore the company
was entitled to every cent that they have