People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-05-07
Wellington, Kansas, May 1, 1896

Wellington, Kansas, May /, 1896
GENTLEMEN OF THE COUNCIL:
Entering now upon the fourth year
in which | have had the honor to
serve this city as her chief executive
officer, with the present council COM
posed with two exceptions of new
members l have thought it proper to
outline to you briefly the work that
has been before the council for their
consideration during the last year ard
TO suggest to you something Of the
work yet to be accomplished. For
years this city has patiently submit
ted TO the dictation of a corporation
owned entirely by parties living in an
eastern state, whose sole intent and
purpose has ever been to demand of
this city over One-half of the entire
revenues under franchise illegally
obtained and containing, as construct
ed by this corporation and its agents.
only one section that should have any
binding force or effect, ard that was
that this city should pay to them four
thousand one hundred dollars per
year. Their agreement to give the
city suitable water pressure to be used
in case Of fire or wholesome water fol
the use of its citizens was with them
matter of little Importance. That
every request made to them to comply
with their contract and agreement
was received with sublime indifference
and no effort made on their part to
improve or repair their plant or do
any thing to correct the greviences
complained of. If their pressure was
so light that our firemen were unable
to throw water upon the second story
OF dwelling house as was the case
when Mr.. Stewards house burned
your mayor would be told hy
the agent of this corporation
that it was the fault of the firemen.
that there were kinks in the hose and
that they alone were to blame. 1.-THE
water was sinking and unwholesome
and unfit for private use it was the
fault Of a dyspeptic fault-finding com
munlty, who were always kicking
about something and We're never
happy unless they were. The fact that
the city had tolerated and paid for
this kind of service for a number Of
years and prOTidentially escaped any
very disastrous results by doing so
led them to believe that they would
still continue to do so. But the ex-
tremely large number of fires last
year, accompanied, it seemed, by no
effort OF the water company to give
the city rot even as good pressure as
they were capable of doing or as good
as they had before been giving,
brought matters to a crisis. On the
afternoon of May 8, 1895, the freight
depoto the Santa Fe R. R. caught fire.
On arriving at the fire, I found the
water pressure so poor that 1t would
not throw stream of water on top of
the OOxcars that were burning. went
to the office of the Aetna mills and
telephoned to the engineer of the
Water Co. that We had no pressure
and for him to give US better pressure.
His reply was that he was giving all
he could. then went back and asked
the editor of the daily paper to notify
the council that there would bs a
meeting of the council that night to
take action in regard to the failure of
the Water Co. to give the city any fire
protection. The meeting was called.
The results that followed are probably
we'll known to you all. This city has
since the lst day Of Oct. 1895 had
possession Of the waterworks and the
water committee, under a resolution
OF the council, had charge of them.
While i'll their zeal for the good cause,
they have given the word temporary
several definitions and interpretations
previously unknown to the scholars
and sages and l have no doubt
would be able to convince Noah Web
ster, II ne were still with us, that his
definition Of the word to mean transit
tory was away behind the times.
The fact that by the decision of the
supreme court made lately the proba-
ollity that the city will have control
of the water plant for long time and
that number Of parties have refused
to pay water rentals makes it necess-
airy for the city, by ordinance, to estab-
llsh some authority that will be
known, respected and obeyed, and 1
trust this council will take action in
regard to this matter. The decisions
rendered in the courts so far have
been favorable to the interests of tue
tax payers of this city. Tile cancela-
ton of the franchise giving to the
Water Co. by our district court re-