San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-02-10
Ehe Daily Eight.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 10, 1894
SHORT STOPS.
What the People are Saying,

ship of the water supply for cities
and towns has been the rule from
the dawn of civilization. All
European cities are provided with
water by the government. The
idea of placing the control of so
natural and necessary an article of
existence in the hands Of a private
individual or corporationis repug-
nent to reason and dangerous, if
not destructive of the rights of the
individual.
Private water monopoly is the
outgrowth Of our American sys-
tenn of private corporations which
has reached down into the bowels
of the earth and up into the
heavens to acquire wealth at the
expense of the masses.
The achievements of private cor
porations in this country consti-
tute the greatest wonder of the
age. They have belted the con-
tinent with railroads; built up
the wilderness; wired the
oceans; mined the mountains;
put in motion thousands of manu-
factories peopled cities; harnessed
the printing press to the god of
lightning; in fact, it is to the en-
ergy, ability and power Of cor
porated capital that we owe the
growth and prosperity of our great
country. But the greed for wealth
has reached too far in some direc-
tions, and cut too deep into the
body polItic-for it is all for gain,
and nothing for philanthropy.
Municipal corporations have
been wisely empowered to provide
at the public expense all things
needful for the health and life Of
the people, even for the education
of the children, but private cor
porations have been allowed to
come in and monopolize the sup
ply of water, light, and everything
out Of which money can be made,
while the city is permitted to carry
on and provide for the things out OF
which no revenue can be derived.
There is no more reason why we
should have free schools than that
we should have free water; the
taxpayers pay for it, in the end
but when we pay for thing we
should own it.
The courts, the police, the public
schools, the care of the streets, the
public health, in fact every de-
partment of city government that
does not yield or cannot be made
to yield a revenue, the city can run
without danger Of competition
from private corporations, but
water is so essential to human life
and to all life, and to commerce,
that it's private monopoly is very
profitable.
1t is we'll that the air cannot be
piped, and dealt out by measure,
or that too, like water, would be
gObbled up by a private corpora
ton.
Every city and town of any size
in this country have either erected
their own plant, or been compelled
to acquire them,-such is expert
ence. Instead of permitting private
corporations to supply water,to the
public, it should be forbidden by
legislative enactment.
1t is remarked by all observing
people, that the arguments ad-
vanced by advocates of the private
monopoly of our water supply, are
all based upon the idea that the
city corporation is incompetent,
corrupt, ETC., when it comes to
dealing out water, but very COM
petent to carry on public education,
to build streets, keep the peace, ar
rest criminals; build sewers, and
legislate generally the good of
the community, but not to furnish
water to fire hydrants, and to the |
people. There is too much politics |
in water! Too much corruption |
In public water works We must |
leave this enterprise to the pure,
unselfish, patriotic, soulless care of
a private corporation
If the great source of corruption,
the very fountain head of all poll
tical rottenness could be laid bare,
through which the ballot box is
polluted, legislative bodies de-
bauched, city corporations manip-