The herald., 1896-02-25
Now TO the Other Extreme in the Water
Contest
fhe Fifty Per Cent Ordinance Returned
Unsigned
The Long Bid for the Paving Of Main Street
Is Finally Accepted Without Strug-
gle - Yesterday With the
City Council

Councilman Thomas Savage created a
sensation when he stated just before the
close of yesterdays weekly session that
the police department, through Chief Glass
and one police commissioner whose name
was not mentioned, is. now and for several
days have been discriminating in permit
ting Theodore Bauer alone to profit from
the high rentals accruing from the vice o
prostitution in the Chinatown district on
Alameda street, all the other patrons being
kept off property in that unsavory neigh
borhood, to the detriment of the smaller
lessees. Savage wanted the council to in
struct the police board to forthwith inves-
tigate the matter. Chief Glass happened,
perhaps by accident, perhaps not, to be
present during the discussion which fol
lowed, having been attracted to the scene,
presumably to obtain information as tc
what the council meant when it, one week
ago, instructed him not to again dump the
result Of the work of the chain gang upon
private property.
President Teed came to the front molly
with defense of the chief, whose m,ni-
fold virtues and generally remarkable
qualities wore extolIed to the skies. feed
objected to any further reference ,r in
structions of any description to thepolice
commissioners, and was inclined to epudi-
ate the similar steps taken by the council
in the past. Munson remarked thtt If the
police board was again instructed I'll of its
personnel might take it into theiI several
heads to resign, in which eveit new
acceptable board might not be eaaly found.
Sp M "a rn1 Il ion not
was told to take his troubles u the police
board, and threatened to do scat the regu-
lar session of that body to be held this
morning. The nameless commissioner TO
whom the councilman from the Eighth
ward referred is said to havebeen Commits.
sioner Long. vacancy in Ale Office OF the
alleged offender is threatned about the
city hall.
FELL DOWN THE ofIIER WAY
The council yesterday went from the
long extreme to the shoH end of the argu-
ment in the controversy incidental to the
fixing of water rates for che year beginning
July L of the presert year. The so per
cent horizontal cut ordnance adopted last
Monday was by unanimous consent. APP
parenfls, recalled from the mayor, just as
THE HERALD repeatedly said during the
past week would bedone. Tnen the coun-
Gil went into committee of the whole, Pres
ident iced calling Councilman George
Stockwell to the chair. The latter is q
member of the water supply committee
which one week igO recommended that the
rates be cut 33h per cent, which fact may
or may not havs been an excellent reason
for taking himof the floor at time when
his presence below the dais of the pre-.
siding officer night have proved disadvan-
tageous to the corporation most inter-
ested in the controversy which was about to
he inauguraed.
iced secuying recognition from the chair,
lost no tine in at once lining up his coll
leagues I'M favor of what was to follow. The
presidentof the council announced hin-
self at the start as being neither friend to
the Los Angeles Water company nor an
enemy u any corporation in the city. He
felt sati,fied that no matter what might be
some portion of the general public would
be convinced in it's particular mind that
the members of the council were owned by
the water company.
The program opened-it had evidently
been prepared in advance and most care.
fully rehearsed-with Councilman Stock
we'll moving that the mayor be requested
to return the SO 1-3 per cent ordinance
without his signature, which motion was
ably and generally seconded by nearly
every other member upon the floor.
Councilman Snyder alone sat still in his
seat, tidgeting about somewhat, but very
determined looking.
Five minutes later a message was re-
ceived from the mayor stating that he re-
turned the ordinance without his signature,
as requested.
Snyder moved that the ordinance be re.
ferred to the water and water supply COM
nittee.
Munson insisted that the matter be taken
up at once and settled without delay.
h<1 hi .,,I
moved that the rates be cut 15 per cent.
j. G. Chapman, attorney for the water
company, who was present,with S. Ii. Mott,
secretary, and other officers of the water
company. arose at this point to address the
council, but President Teed said that that
body did not wish to hear from the COM
pany.
Mr.. Stockwell then moved that the coun-
Gil 60 into a committee of the whole to cen
slider the question.
= Upon obtaining the floor Teed said SO
per cent cut was incapable of doing any
good. A 33M per cent reduction would
work no better. I'VE, as members of this
council" 10 said, "are placed in an EN-
cut of SO per cent was too radical when we
made it but not one raised his voice against
it, for If hs had everybody would have said
lie was a hireling of the water company.
"This corporation has rights, like every
one elseE nave no doubt the water COM
pany will not object to a reasonable re-
ductioa.
"Tle time is coming, gentlemen, when
we will have to buy this water plant or put
in ore of our own," said the president of
the council. II am working for the public
gool. am no hireling of the water COM
paay, nor of any man or any corporation.
Rlall do hero what think is just.'
Snyder answered Teed: He had looked
over the reports of the water company and
lad not changed his belief that if the pre-
vailing water rates were cut right in half
the water works would continue to be one
Of the best paying business propositions in
the city. He could not agree with Teed
that the recommendation of the water and
water supply committee was ridiculous.
However, since there had been such q hur-
rah raised, he would stand by the commit
tees report of a 331l per cent reduction.
Pessel renewed the motion made by him
earlier in the day that the rate be cut 10
per cent from what it 10 at present. The
motion was lost for want of second.
Alngery thought that too much was being
PAID Tor water. He believed, as Snyder
did, that big money was yet to be made by
the Company II the rates we're cut as much
as 49, per cent.