The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-03-20
RED-HOT shot
FROM W. R. WEAN, ANTI GRAVITY
PRESSURE.
MIR. wean Answers "w" in Terse and
Pointed Manner.-"Why Does "W"
Prefer Ambush, Bush h-Whack
ing Tactics?"

signed "W."
am assured that it. was written by j.
W. HOughtOn, who had not the courage
to sign it; who was not present at the
meeting, he misrepresents and who re-
ceived all of the information in regard
to the same secOnd-handed and distorted
to suit his extreme and terpredjudices,
in the case, and who then resOrted to his
den of ''higher criticism" to write.
Attention in this article is called only
to his Misrepresentation of my state
ments at that meeting. Others will
doubtless call his attention to his lack
of candor in regard to what they had to
say. Had he headed his article ''Burles-
que" no attention would be given it.
shall not refer to his slurs and insin-
uations. | shall pass them over un-
noticed. He doubtless thinks them
"cute" and shrewd, and / would not de-
prive him of the comfort and satisfaction
he derives from such contemplation. As
usual he has chosen to make this per-
sonal issue instead of a waterwOrks
issue.
He was at the first public meeting and
espOused the financial branch of the
question, presenting carefully pre-
pared tumble of figures, but when con-
frOnted with an accurate, mathematical
statement by Mr.. Webster, which was
fair to both projects and which dissipat-
ed Mr.. HOughtOn's statement into thin
air." Mr.. HOughtOn took to his den and
refused to attend the subsequent meet
ing, either to acknowledge his errors or
manfully, in open meeting, to defend his
position.
Why does Mr.. HoughtOn shrink from
an open, manly discussion of this ques-
tiOn in public meeting? Why does he
prefer the ambush, bush-whacking tactics,
to those of legitimate warfare?
II the cause for waterwOrks is feasible
and practicable, why resort to personal
tiles and Misrepresentation? Such tao
tics are evidences of weakness and of a
poor cause. If Mr.. HoughtOn has moth
ing better to offer than misstatements, as
dernier resort, it would be better for
his cause to keep silent.
The tactics he uses are not unknown to
the legal profession, and an attorney for
the defendant in q lawsuit is said to
have handed the harrister his brief
marked ---. no case; abuse the
plaintiffs attorney" but had hoped fol
better things from Brother HOughtOn.
Not one sentence, purpOrting to give
what | said at said meeting, is correct OF
has the least semblance of truth as re-
ported by Mr., HoughtOn. What | did
say was given in substance correctly by
the editor in his report of the meeting
In my short talk that evening | called
the attention of the taxpayers to the fol
lowing mistakes made by the engineer
employed by the council, and having rec
commended Mr.. Chaplin to the council,
deemed it but right and proper to call at
tention to his many errors for which h,
has been paid over $500:
First: In his first report to the council
signed and published by him, he unqnal
ifiedly states: 'The area of the water
shed is ample, being about four sQuar
miles,"
Second At the called meeting Of the
council, March 8, after his engineer haC
again surveyed-paced Off-the SAM
watershed that was said to contain abOu
four square miles, Mr.. Chaplin stated
, that there were only 1000 acres in tn,
watershed, mistake of just 1860 acres
there being 1850 acres less in the area O.
the watershed than first reported to tn,
council.
Third: At this same meeting, and alst
in private conversation with the mayor
Mr.. Chaplin stated that the average deptl
Of the water in the pond when full wOult
be eleven feet. 1t is now admitted b,
all that he was mistaken just four feet
as the average dep tn when the pond il
full can be but seven feet.
Fourth: At the same meeting in answe
to one of the written questions, asking i
there was not danger Of the pipes becOm
ing clOgged, etc., he said that there wal
, not any such danger; there being such
= great velocity that themOving water wOul
keep the pipes clean, stating that TIN
velocity was so great that it would b
sufficient to move stone along, Stain,
that the velocity would be thirty feet pc
minute, and then taking time to com
pute, said, or 1900 feet per hour. O
n course this was careless statement an
: a mistake on his part. 1t does not re
! quire much intellect to discover the error
q and am surprised that even Mr.. HOugh
Y ton failed to see it.
S But Mr.. HOughtOn tells us 'therc ha
Q been change in natural philosophy an
: the laws Of physics"
/ lam aware that Mr.. HOughtOn claim
|. to have found great errors in the laws O
J Moses; but was not aware before that h
= had directed his researches to errors il
i the laws Of physics. Iamvery gladtohav
learned this and trust that he will give u
+ sufficient notice to adjust ourselves, be
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