The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-02-18
The Water Works Remonstrance.

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A number OF our citizens have signed
remonstrance and sent messenger to
Columbus with it urging the Legislature
not to pass the bill so largely petitioned
for to allow Hillsboro to issue bonds in
order to construct water works. OF
course this is privilege guaranteed to
every American citizen, and no doubt
those signing the remonstrance felt that
they were doing the proper thing for
themselves. We all know the majority
of the names upon the remonstrance
without looking at it. They are the
names Of men, in nine cases out of ten,
who have opposed all plans for the pro.
gress of Hillsboro since they were old
enough to kick. They are the names Of
those who say that 1--WE don't want any
more manufactures here, they make too
much smoke" The are the names of
the men who say 1--WE have too I'D
many railroads here now." They are
the names of men who, if they had pos
sessed the power, would have had our
town. lighted still with gasoline lamps or
by the moon and stars, our fire depart
ment equipped with buckets, our mer.
chants and other shippers under the
thumb of the B. & o. r. r. monopoly,
streets ungraded, our sidewalks torn up
by unsightly locust trees, our Town Hall
an old rickety rats nest, our public
library unborn, our thorougfares lined
with dogfennel and adorned with rag.
weed and cuckleburrs.
OF course the remonstrance contains
the names of some hitherto progressive
gentlemen who, feeling that the result
would not justify the expense, have
joined in opposition to the measure, but
the moving spirits are these who, having
enough of their own, do not wish others
to prosper by the growth and prosperity
of the town.
The great argument against the effort
to secure water works is that a water
supply cannot be secured. Now this
very thing is met by a provision in the
bill before the Legislature in which the
sum of twenty-five hundred dollars &C.
cruing from the sale of that amount of
bonds is to be first applied to the sink.
ing Of one or more test wells at available
spots. No more bonds are to be put up
| on the markets until such wells have
been sunk. These wells are sent deep
into the earth, then enormous charges
of dynamite or nitro-glycerine are
lowered and exploded, shattering the
rock about the bottom of the shaft for a
great distance and forming subterra-
mean basin in which the water can COL
lect.. If then the supply be deemed suf-
ficient the remainder of the bonds will
be sold and the construction of the plant
continued, but if an insufficient quantity
be found after the money appropriated
for this purpose is expended the remain.
ing bonds are to be cancelled.
The Council has now no legal right to
spend money for the sinking of these
test wells. A special act would have to
be passed to enable them to do so, and
it was thought best to embody the entire
amount necessary for both testing and
construction in one act with the above
provision. It is certainly worth the
amount named to ascertain whether we
can have water supply or not or, in
other words whether Hillsboro is to pro-
gress or retrograde.
No one likes to pay taxes of course,
but where it becomes a necessity to pay
them or else have ones property depre-
ciate in value, the safety from fire
lessened, the health of the community
suffer, insurance rates increased and the
growth of the town arrested, we had
better meet the issue firmly and go
down into our pockets with the hope
that present expenses will bring future
recompense to us or to our children.