Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-04-17

payable at the option of the lot owner in five
installments with interest on the unpaid
amounts due or the entire sum to be paid at
once if he shall SO elect. The contract with
Mccain & Mcclellan has been closed and a
settlement made, rendering it useless to dilate
upon the complaints, well founded in my
opinion, as to the unsatisfactory manner in
which they performed much of their work.
That which has been done cannot now De I'M
| done, but this council can and should exercise
the greatest care to see that the present and
all future contracts, if any, with which we
! may have TO do are faithfully performed, and
the rights of the public preserved
| Equally futile is it to comment at length
| upon what is now generally conceded to
have been mistake in providing for sewer
age before securing WaterWOrkS. The latter
! should have come first but the error can
not now be corrected We can only consid-
er the matter from the standpoint of to-day
and accept the situation as we lind It, rellev-
4 ing it of such difficulties as we can. A peril
! nent inquiry at this time Is, whether we are
! TO understand from the result Of the recent
! election that the people want no more i'm
prOvements or was it simply declaration on
/ their part OF hostility to the manner i'll which
! the sewer work OF last year was done and the
J business incidental thereto conducted? Was
their dissatisfaction, as expressed at the polls,
! a protest simply against having been com
| PEELED to pay their special assessments in one
year, instead Of having them graduated
through period OF five years, as they were
first given TO understand would be the case?
Was it an expression of their UnwillingnesS
to see Watertown keep place with the march
OF Improvement IN other cities and DenttIng
this provided too much is not attempted at
one time so as to make taxation OnerOuS and
unbearable? Did they mean to say that they
want no WaterWOrkS now or hereafter, and
under no conditions? l scarcely believe such
was their intention If otherwise, how do
they expect or Lope to reap any advantage
from the $780, already expended and to be
expended for sewers; for without means Of
flushing them they will soon become useless
and a nuiSance; the board of public works
having permitted connections to be made
without any provision for keeping the sewers
free from instructions. Physicians give it as
their opinion that the effect upon health must
be deleteriOuS in the extreme if some method
is not devised to Obvate this difficulty; and
to the end that the evils or dangers suggest
ed may not be multiplied, L deem it unWise
TO provide for more sewers at present than
are now under contract. If it shall appear
that waterworks are desirable, tAen by what
means shall they be procured? 1T Is a settled
fact that the city cannot build them on its
own account, having no resources at COM
mand by reason OF Its inability 10 add to Its
bonded Indebtedness which has now reac he'd
its limit. Another plan which has its advo-
Gates IS that "a franchise shall! be granted some
company or corporation, the city agreeing TO
rent a certain number OF nydrantS Tor water
purposes, and taking an option on terms TO
De agreed upon, for the purchase OF the plant
within stated time. TO this, however,
strenuous objection is made by some of the
strongest advocates of wGterWOrkS, who de-
maDd that the city snail alone own and Goa |
trol them. Their position is untenable, being
both Tor ana against, i'll this that they FAVOR ,
the Improvements yuJ only Oh Impossible con- /
ditiOnS There is Il great diversity Of senti- |
n1enU among our citizens in this matter, and |
it should be our aim to crystalline it il possible
with view to better understanding of their /
wants. Probably no more important and diff |
icult question will claim our attention than
this.
MATTERS IN LITIGATION.
judgment against the city in the Metcalf |
case was entered in the United States district |
court, August %, 1894, for $50 2S2 "a Metcalf |
claims that the amount should have been $780, !
5.13, the difference being one as to the rate |
OF interest to which he is entitled. The mat |
ter is now before the United States court OF !
appeals in Chicago for final hearing, the time !
OF which has not yet been fixed.
The John w. Cole win case, in which the !
city has an interest, is before the circuit |
court tor judicial Interpretation of the will, |
and vii! probably soon be head.
CITY EXPENSES.
For each of the three years from April, 1890. |
to April, 1898, the salary list amounted to 81, |
2l0; the following year there was an advance !
of $780, and for the year about closing there |
has been an increase bringing the sum total
up to s., 15U Taxpayers demand, and have |
a right TO insist, that there shall be a careful
revision of the list and such reductions made |
as may be found possible without any impair
ment Of the public service. 1t Is proper to
say that portion of the advance for last year
was due to the creation OF add itiOnal offices
under the revised charter. deemed necessary
under the new conditions which had arisen,
but something can be saved and must be, or
we viii tiiSaDpOiut pub expectation. UnfOrt
unaUeIy provision in the city charter makes
it incum bent the common council at its first
ensuing year, which cannot DE increased or
diminished by the succeeding council This
having been done the only recourse lett us, If
we would curtlil the expenses in this respect
is to dispense with certain officers, which sec
ton of the charter says the council may do.
/ commend this suggestion to your serious
consideration.
In this connection your attention is called
to the tact that the expense of lighting the
city ana public buildings the past year was
about Sc, 800. This seems to be very large
for. rho N a6 n a w
larger population than this Our streets should
be Suitably lighted, but there should be no IN
reasonable outlay in that or any other item OF
city expenses. taxpayers are IN no moOd fOf
extravaganza and demand at our hands an
administration OF economy and reform. TnlS
is time of great depression in business. many
peIs SONS are out of employment, ane, frugality
Should be practiced IN every branch OF the
public service. do not mean to advocate
penny wise and pound foolish policy, but
one that shall meet all the just and proper de
mands Of the city without lavish expenditures.
CITY ENGINEER AND STREET COMMISSIONER.
[ submit for your consideration whether IN
! your opinion it is necessary TO retain both the
! offices OF street commissioner and city engi-
! neer. The combined annual salaries OF the
! two amount to $500. Are their services like
J " 10 be required enough of the time to Just1fy
! their engagement for d whole year. and might
| For the present, and until the GOrder contract
! is completed, the services OF an engineer are
| Indispensable, but do not C, n slider those OF
street commissioner 50 requisite 1t seems as
! though some Of his duties might De perform ed
by the engineer, and the remainder by
| the ward fOremen Of the various wards under
| the direction of the aldermen Or if this
view is not sustained by the council, and 1T is
| thought both officers are required for the pre-
sent, a temporary service might be arranged
for covering such time as the eXigencies of the
case demand. If it is found practicable to act
| favOrably on either Of these suggestions, with
out detriment to the public service. it should
be done and the existing ordinance on the sub
ject amended accordingly.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
From the report of Health Commissioner
Field, advance sheets OF which have been fur
nished me, it appears that for the period from
Nj arch /, 1874 to February 80, 1895, there were
100 deaths from all causes in the city, or an
average of only per cent on a basis of popu-
lation of 1000. There was no death from any
contagious disease except Mrs. Erright, who
di ed of small pOx Injected by patient who
, contracted the malady in Chicago. Mrs. En-
rights home was strictly quarantined, and
hers was the only case in the city. One
of the several Recommendations made by
} the health commissioner, all of which de
serve attention, is that the city should pro
2 vide place where contagious diseases can be
treated, or strangers taken suddenly ILL., OF
meeting with accident, may be properly cared
for public hospital need not be large, mol
] involve the city in much expense. There has
0 been an entire freedom from epidemics the
mas and if ShOu1d he OTr aim To lxonn the