The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-08

think auy man need be ashamed OF chang
ny his mind. Remember. that a man with
NJ mind can never change it. (Chsers.)
hope many In this hall may 20 home with
entirely different conception Of the
question than they came here with.
There IS one point for consideration.
and that il the scare raised by the word
corporation Ignorance IS at the bottom
81 thar. I want me city 70 own the water
works. / believe in the municipal control
% all public necessities. ! believe water
Is almost as necessary as air. and that our
people should have water al merely
nominal cost (Cheersl But IL cann0t be
made che aper II you 20 into this further
Indebtedness. Seventy-five per cent. OF
the revenues are TO 60 10 pay of this In
debtedness, and one condition Of the prop
ositi0n Is that the price of water shall not
be reduced | would like 10 see municipal
control Of electric lights (Cneers.l Then
We should have lights that would be lights
and should not be left half the time in
darkness. tCheersD ] am willing 10 see
tho transportation facilities Of our city be-
longing 70 the city (cheers). and ] wish
10 say to those who believe with me In
these matters that II you vote In the at
firmat.ve on Tuesday you are going Just
in the opposite direction. We can nfTer
get control Of these important matters,
such "a water, lighting and transporta-
ton long as We are overwhelmed with
debt I think, too that 1t is wrong for
municipality. as much as for an indivld-
ual TO load Itself up with debts IL cannot
pay. Let us stop this nonsense: this sham
business. and 60 about our ways n an
honest. business-l,ke manner. (Cheers)
Vote No in capital ,etters against this
proposed increase Of our debt"
Not Legal or Expedieut.
c. r. Fishback was next introduced. He
said there We're two questions that had 10
be answered by everybody VINO was 10 vote
on the ordinance. one was is IL eXpedient,
and the other was is 1t legal. He was n
favor of gravity water supply from Cedar
river fapplauseb and he was in favor or
the city owning its own water system zap
plause) But that was not the question.
The plan of the ordinance was not expe-
dent and II was not legal Would a man
take the advice of enthusiast, dema-
gogue. or the advice of our judges ana
nine-ten;hs OF the business men on our
streets? The proposition was not timely.
II was not needed for several years yet.
The city could not legally expend any such
sum OF money for such a purpose. The
city should retrench The sentiment IN ia
vor of the ordnance was based on nothing
csc than fear that the water supply Of
the city would pass into the hands OF pri-
vate owners IL was fear, not good bust
ness sense. The conclusion must be ar
rived a by everybody who would vote for
the ordinance that he was doing a very
foolish thing. The city had reached It's
limit of Indebtedness and could not legally
.ssue another dollar of debt. But the or
d.nance says Go ahead and incur the debt
anyway" The form of the warrant 10 be
issued IN payment for the construction Of
the system was like a city warrant. The
treasurer shall pay the money Gut, 1t shall
be countersigned by the mayor and the
comptroller, and It shall be paid out OF a
nF ha OF ~ Of ~
OF the city of Seattle. II was not the
money Of any third party. 1t was the money
Of the people of Seattle. Why was ii not
debit These warrants, If issued, will
probably go al over the country, and when
they are TO be presented for payment
where VIII they be sent? They Viii be
sent 10 the treasurer of the city of Sc
attic. And if the warrants are not repu-
dated the city of Seattle must pay them
II IS debt the people have no right TO
contract, and If this ordinance carries your
election will be in vain. The courts viii
say that the city cannot incur any more
debt. When an injunction is served al the
outset you WI see that you have had an
election for nothing. because you have
been afraid OF something. AS II is not ex-
pedient, not legal you cannot carry it our.
He Appealed from philip drunk 10 Philip
sober" The ordinance was inexpedient,
Illegal and fraudulent,
applause. and when he closed, Daniel KEEL
leher was introduced.
fhe Time 10 Pctrcnch.
He sad that Il was just such meetings
as this that made him believe that he and
all the young men here had made no mis-
take when they came TO Seattle TO make
I; their home. There were two sides to
this question. as 10 every question, and tho
reasons why he was going to oppose the
M no IN fycn mi
well in an hour. He was in favor OF
the city owning its own water works Tap
Pause and If the question was whether
the city should or should not own them. the
situation would he different. But that was
not the condition. Lake Washington was
as good a source of supply and better than
many cities had. The city could not afford
10 incur such a debt when Il was not -.ces-
sary. The rate Of taxation was already so
high that Il was no time for experiment
the people should rot try to find ways of
scattering money; they should retrench.
4 Mortgage IN the Whole CITY.
a. d. Warner came next. and he made
a neat five-mnute speech. The figures
that the press had been forced to give to
the public showed that more than 5000. 600
was now outstanding and lien against
the property of the people. Yet there were
people who insisted that the city should
get 4 luxury ii could DO without. The
present taxation was q mortgage of - per
cent on every dollars worth of property
in the city. And Yet they would have the
city spend $i.2.0noo more.
There were men on the platform. able
ilustrjous men. men from the pulpit who
had come to plead that the people should
not take upon themselves this debt Cap
plause4 The business men were suffering
today from the heavy burden OF taxa
ton II was their own fault. Time end
4 ma q I'D frs !