The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1892-12-21
ibis sum would be ten hundred or twelve

this snm would be ten hundred or twelve
hundred dollars.
As specimen Of the mismanagsmsnt Of
thePlant likely to follow the bonding Of the
town for water works, We need only cite the
history Of the long continued raismansge-
nent OF our borough finances. What have
We 10 show Tor the more than $2.0o0 spent
annually for years past By our ever chang
ing courclg Witbou. water, heretofore with
out electric lights, with poor streets and
pavemenis. dirty cutters, no sewerage and a
prosecution now pending in court against
the burgess for maintaining nuisance, what,
We AJAX, has become OF the public money!
When We came into the council we found
an empty treasury. The council Sflast year
had spent their whole revenue aud had slso
taken the license fees belonging to this years
revenue. One tax collector. behind on his
duplicate, had been dropped from the bor-
ongh statement and he and his bondsmen
thus excused from paying over the bOrOrgh's
money now in his possession
We at once called halt on this extrava-
gance. and, although We had to pay out mon
ey TO satisfy number OF orders issued By
last years council, and, also, paid one Of the
bonds issued by a former council, our treas
urer, J. A. Berkey, Esq, handed over to his
successor, d. J. Hcrner, the irst Of the
present month, s7s7Si.
We also found that the old council bad,
without referring the question 10 a vote Of
the citizens, granted the electric light fran
chise to private company. Strange, isn't
il, that the gentlemen who are now suffer
ing such agonies over the proposition 10 let
the people vote whether or not the water
franchise shall be granted 70 company,
were 50 silent when the Standard was urg-
ing the Old council to grant the electric light
franchise to its editors father in-laN, and
other gentlemen? Where did the steal come
in in that hasty action Of council?
But our article is growing too lengthy
and we must address ourselves 10 the anon
ymous writer Of the S,aadaTd. Except as to
the statement as to cost Of water in Ebens-
burg, about which we know nothing. but
which statement We doubt, We can only say
the article is a tissue Of fasehOOds from be-
ginning to end. As an illustration, he says !:
Meyersdale's company, with a plant Of
$4,000, has been fleeing The people out Of
from IS to 25 per oentam on the investment
ever since lis inception" We are informed
5y Harvey ". Berkeley, Esq, who is mem
Der of that company, that their plant stands
them SIS, ,75O. and they have never paid but
6 per cent
We are reliably infoemei that the water
works Of Bedford have cost them more than
$1,000; that they have an insufficient sup
ply. that the management by the borough is
unsatisfactory, and the borough has been in
debt for the same for the past Is Or % years.
It is easy for al anonymous writer to
taunt his neighbors with such epi:heis as
Judas Iscariot, Benedict Arnold, traitors 10
the peoples trus., corruptionisis, water
snakes. and the like. and thus try to bIacken
their regulations and destroy their useful
ness. Regulations for honesty and deceney
are not made in day and a generous pub
lie are not going to give ersdencs to the un-
supported and irresponsible utterances OF a
blsckguard, who lies like a snake in the
grass. concealed beneath bis nOul ds pliiais
Conscious Of our innocence Of the foul
charges made against US in the S,aadurE,
and Of the rectiiude Of our purposes, We
propose 20 stand in council IS We have here
tofore, for an economic government for the
borough, and for the protection Of the rights
of the whole people.
J. G. OsLE,
W. W. DAVIS,
JOSIAH II. PIsEL-