Asheville daily citizen., 1892-05-07

ONE WEEK 10
SATURDAY. MAY I, 1892.
Not one democrat did Mr.. Wattcrson
meet in a So journ of nearly two weeks
in Washington city who did not privately
agree with him that Mr.. Cleveland would,
if nominated, certainly he defeated.
And yet the Cleveland organs profess to
believe that he is available Richmond
Dispatch.
They were all politicians whom Mr..
Watterson met, we presume. So be it.
But the honorable Kentucky editor does
not thing Hill has a fighting chance
either
A SAD FACT.
"Thc Cleveland craze has run to the
end of its tether, and from now to the
day of the convention we shall hear less
and less OF this tremendous MuGwump
effort to wreck the party"
The above dainty little paragraph was
contained in an editorial article of the
Atlanta Constitution of Wednesday last
IN uSAl va lhtil ptlpSl Hdu luS lINdSu'N
of printing very interesting accounts OF
the truly enthusiastic Cleveland demon
strations in the democratic state convcn-
tion of Michigan and Wisconsin.-Char-
lesion News and Courier.
Our Charleston contemporary is mis-
taken. The account the Constitution
printed was far from interesting. This
great democratic newspaper suppressed
all the reports of the enthusiasm in the
tw" conventions for one of the greatest
democrats of our time, and Cortcutcd
itself with giving undue Importance to a
speech made in the convention in favor OF
Hill bv an old-time grccnbacker of no
democratic standing in his own state.
That, and it is sad fact, is the Consti-
tution's way these days.
BEE TREE AND SWANNANOA.
five understand the advocates of the
Bee Tree scheme Of furnishing the city
water, their claims rest on two advan-
tages, real or supposed; The purity OF
the water and the cheapncss of the sys
TEN aftcrit is established As to the purity
of the Bee Tree water, that is so far
matter of opinion we do not understand
that there has been any scientific test OF
the water. Probably, however, the wa
ter is of exccptionablc purity. As to the
chcapness OF the "gravitv" system, that
is self evident, and will hold good unless
some mistake should be made in putting
in the piping or making the dam.
1t seems to be an unqucstioncd fact
that if the city were to 60 to Bee Tree for
its water that would not settle the cues
ton for very many years to come for the
supply there is only little more than
double the amount used (and wasted by
the city at present To adopt Bee Tree,
therefore, would be to commit the town
to two systems, which means greater
proportionalexpense thanif the increased
water supply now needed were obtained
at the present source.
The matter of expense must be con-
sidcred. Those who talk of getting the
Bee Tree water regardless OF cost, either
in time or money, take a position in
which we cannot follow them. We
believe the city should have an increased
water supply before fall and VIC believe
that increase should be had with the
money now on hand. because to wait for
more is to postpone the whole matter
indefinitely, and that the city cannot
afford to do.
The city has on hand, if We are rightly
informed, about $4,000 that can be
used for the purpose of securing an in
creased water supply. The testimony of
the city engineer is that the pipe alone
for the Bee Tree line would cost $780,
600. How much that item could be de-
creased by the substitution of terra
Gotta for iron pipe remains to be seen.
If the decrease is great, so as to coninc
the whole cost of bringing Bee Tree wa
ter within the sum now available a new
face will be put on the matter.
The report made to the joint board
April 16 showed that our present water
supply could be trebed by the use of the
money now on hand in the plan they
proposed. This plan was thus stated in
that report;
"In our opinion the best system to
adopt is to put in a duplicate plant at
the city pump house which will double
our present supply for at least ten
months of the year, and supplement this
with steam pump of one million gal
Ions, to be used during unusually dry
times, which would probably not aver
age two months of the year"
We have seen no criticism of this report
or of the plan proposed, its opponents
contenting themselves with reassertng
the purity of the Bee Tree water and the
cheapness of the gravity" system when
once it is established. The former of
these two claims of course virtually at.
tacks the purity of the present supply.
Now il that attack can be successfully
maintaincd-that is, if we are to go to
Bee Tree on that account-it follows
that we must abandon the Swannanoa
altogether; no one wants to drink I'M
pure water. But good authority has re-
peatedly in times past assured US that if
the filters were always properly attended
to the present water was pure, not abb
solutely, but in relative sense, that is,
it does not endanger, but rather pro-
notes, the health Of those who use it.
Can more be said for Bee Tree until it
has been scientifically tested?
The conclusion of the whole matter,