The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-01-09
THAT WATER QUESTION.
A Correspondent Swings the Ham
mer and TOngs.

l0R WIEN Ttdu your very COulpleto TtpOFt
>! the Council meeting Thursday night.
Toe free and open discussion of the water
enterprise at the meeting was, indeed, good
to my mind, if not to my soul. 1t opened
my es am citizen and taxpayer OF
the borough and have been wondering for
months pact if we would ever have water
works owned by the borough. Occasion
ally heard something about the joint
commit that was appointed at the mass
meeting in Robbins opera house, but
coul4 hear nothing of what it was doing
until l read ur paper this evening
Now, Mr. Editor, L AN convinced that the
borough will never own water works un
der the present movement. will give
you my reasons Tor believing this, L DO
not think the int committee is acting
fir wi h the people of this town and
honestly believe that ii they asked the
people tomorrow to back their actions up
to date by an elec ion not one-third of the
citizens wou d stand by them. L challenge
the right of any member or members oil
that COM mmiuee TO force water work. upon
this borough. If that committee is so con-
fient that they have the people behind Il
why has it not got faith enough to first 50
cure estimates on what the water works are
to cost and then let the peop g, by special
election, authorize an increase OF debt to
the amount required. l tell you, Mr..
L ii OF. that that committee dare not do
| that 1t wants TO sink $50, 600 in the val
ey first, and then turn to the people and
say, "Now sink or swim. You have S45,-
900 in this thing and you must complete
this plant or lose what you have put in 1t.
In other words, Mr. Editor, this joint com
mlttee wants to get the people in such u
position that they can put the screws ON
tnem u d say, We've got your money,
yol take your choice"
| nea u great deal said about the re-
spectability and integrity of Mr.. Lam :,
| Mr. James and others, Mr.. Editor, and
do not wish to question it here; but let IN
say thai have good reason to believe that
at least three OF the councilmen on that
| Joint committee are actuated In this water
question by self in crest as much If not
more, as by desire TO benefit the people
The throe councilmen l refer to are Messrs.
Lamb, Gable and Wurm. They may rant
and tear rs much AS they please, but viii
show you where their self interest comes
in. They have but few weeks more to
serve as councilmen and they know that II
they are not reelected they will be like
| Blsmarck-on the shelf. Now, what shall
we do to be saved =? We will stir up som =
thing that will be likely to develop into q
popular boom. We will take the boom by
the lorelock and we will let the people
know we are their friends and then we will
ue reelected 10 council so these three
| Jolly councilmen start the boom. They
burn the water company in etigy and say
to the people, Stand by us and we Will
| x you water works of your own" The
people (this committee claIms) have stood
by them until To-Day. But where are the
water works2 Mr.. James says we will gel
them. The committee will take the S45, ,OOC
under the old special election, squeeze
s., 900 to $40, 900 out in the shape of an in
creased bonded indebtedness, spent thC
S53 OOO we will then have in hand snC
~
finish it Is what Mr.. james told the coun
cilmen, according TO the HERALD's report
nave admired Mr.. james as a council
man, but as hnancier and promoter o
pubic water works l think ne is u failure
Inc County Commissioners want higt
sssess nents In this borough, our population
Of tax dodglns Poles and Huns is on tn,
increase, stone crusher representing 81, 90.
or more lies idle on the mountain, fire
alarm sJ stem will soon swallow abou
"a 0O0 mOIe, We are not able to pay oul
deOts now, and yet Mr.. james calmly says
'.,lve us $55 QUO tor the water works" and
the climax will be THE people will have lc
| finish IT," Mr. james is right. The people
i0iH have to finish it, l also notice by your
report that Mr.. Wurm stated that the
kickers are the men who don't own d
Single. NV, Mr.. Editor, would like tC
! know how Mes r.. Lamb, james, Wurm
and Betteridge are rated. Add to the lis
Messrs Gable, g Jakley, Van Dusen and
| Moakler. Are they the moneyed people o
the town. But, then, admit it is the peo
pie who don't own shingle in the town
who are the kickers2 Who form the
majority of the people in the town. Are
they the landlords, the butchers, the mine
bosses, the saloonkeepers, The shoe dealers
or other business men2 Or are they tao
poor devils whose horny hands keep the
collieries going for bloated bondholders
and pay what title they have left over for
the miserable novels they inhabit and
which covered by the misnomer-home
Another thing, Mr Editor, why is it thai
the citizens on that joint committee don't
make some statement to the people, ol
council No. They are mum. All the
spouting and glorifying is left in the hands
of the three candidates for reelection tC
council.
| have one or two questions to ask the