The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-05-19
THE WATER O11rsTION.

that, IAN ounce of preventation isworth
pound of cure"
THE WATER QUESTION.
Mr.. EDITOR Referring to the letter of
Maj. A. B. Valentine, in your last issue,
1 desire to say, life is too short for Maj,
Valentine to deny that the Water Com
pany have power to FIX the rate of rents
and the same alter at pleasure3' too
short to deny that it takes two votes in
favor of the purchase of the water works
to overcome the vote of every member of
the Water Company, and of every one OF
those whom it marshals in its interest
voting against the purchase; too short to
deny that the representative from Ben
nington, when this scheme OF political
robbery received Legislative sanction, af-
forwards became an officer of the Water
Company, and now strenuOusly opposes
the purchase of the water works by the
Village; to short too affirm that wien
this scheme was pending the official con
science of our representative was sutfi-
GENTLY alive to the public interest to i'm
pei him to warn the people that their
rights were being invaded and that I'M
less they were up and doing the Water
Company and Others voting in it's inter
est, constituting a minority of one third
plus one, would control the majority of
two thirds minus one who desired to
purchase the water works: too short to
deny that the Water Company has paid
mo tax to the Village, but that It's stock is
presumably taxed to support the govern
ment of New York; too short to deny
that the Village paid water rates last
year for hydrants and other public uses,
| ~ % A an Z.
10000; too short to deny that the amount
uses, is but mere fraction OF what is
paid by individuals and corporations, for
private use; too short to deny that water
charges nothing for runping down hill;
too short to deny that the construction
of sewers would call for additional out
lay for water; too short to deny that
more hydrants are needed. and that, as
the Village grows, the DEMAND will in
crease; too short to deny that every adj
ditional hvdrant, at the present contract
price. with interest at four per cent, will
have cost the Village S393. "a at the end
of 20 years. too short to deny that the
present worth of every such hydrant to
the Water Company, is S4O7.7 10; too short
to deny that the time to BOND the WI
lage to buy the water Works, at the low
est rate of interest, is before the Village
is bonded or runs in debt for any other
purpose; too short to deny that it is a
better plan to issue one series OF BONDS
for the water works and the sewers, than
to bond the Village Separately Tor each
purpose; TOO short to denv that the sew
erage act of 1892 attempts to legaliZe ex-
tortion by assessing the homes of the
poor, and agricultural lands in the out.
skirts of the Village, the corner lots of
widows and orphans at the same rate
per front foot as the Putnam House and
Opera House blocks, the big WOODEN Mill
of Holden, Leonard u Co., and other es-
Establishments, where the bread-winners,
men, women and children, daily make
their contributions of some proportion
of their hard earnings TO Increase the
wealth aud power of their employers
mot including the mills Of Maj. Valen-
tine however, as he, with his foresight,
saw the end from the beginning and To-
Gated his mills entirely aioof from street
frontage, so as to entirely escape the per
front foot assessment, and yet conven-
iently accessible to the sewers; too short
to deny that a member of the sewerage
committee, also member of the Water
Company was the chief factor III causing
this damnable scheme of assessing the
!
through the Legislature. without the
knowledge of the people. and IN contra,
vention of the Village charter, accepted
and adopted by the people, winch pro-
vides (Sec. 81, that the trustees, In
making, altering, or repairing
sewers and drains, shall have power
to assess the owner or owners OF
land or lands benefited thereby, so much
of the expense of making altering, or re-
pairing the same, as said trustees snail
Judge suchlands to be benefited hereby
also IN contravention of the village by
laws (Sechou ~, mo new sewers shall
be constructed at the expense Of the vii
lage without vote of the Village to con-
struct the same. The trustees"
sin constructing and repairing sewers in
, future, the expense thereof so far as
practicable and equitable snail be as,
sessed upon the owners of lands benefited
thereby, according to the provisions oil
the Village Charter: Verify, life is toe
= short to deny that the sewer committed
D have usurped autOcratic power TO pro
: cure legislation subversiye to the organic
S laws of the Village, making unhOly dis
,, elimination in favor of the rich against
y the poor; too short to deny that we are
in danger of having Sucker POND, Will
Y its doubtful reputation of purify, mingled
i with the pure, sparkling spring water o.
, the village water Works, and the cos
/ thereof, including the enigmatic value o.
f about 1000 acres of mountain land, and
$ a water privilege, added to the purchase
: price, to be paid and thrown away if W.
: buy the water works: consequently
d Mai. Valentine contents himself (as wei
a as he can under strong temptatlonP) viii
d characterizing the unahswerable state
ments of fact in my previous Letters
j. 'sophistries," theories little in hi
+ own way, chiefly on small premises, say,
: it seems to him that the advocates o.
IS the purchase (of the, water works., can
/ not be serious, but desire only to make
) diversion SO as TO defeat the sewerage en-
: terprise.n How deity and cautiously
!, the falsehood is mingled with the trutl
y in this little paragraph. The facts ar
s the people are tremendously IN earnes
for the purchase of the water works be