The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-04-03
THE WATER BOND QUESTION.

voters of this city will vote upon Jne
question of issuing bonds to put in
a water system upon Agency hill.
The FREE PRESS has taken the oc-
casion at various times in the past
TO comment upon the urgent need or
something being done to relieve the
pressing need Of the people on the
hills for pure water supply. 1t is
matter that ought not to be longer de-
Iayed. They are without supply OF
pure water; the drouth has dried up
their wells and water cannot be oo-
tanned there without sinking wells at
great depth and at large expense, far
Beyond the means of the average cltl-
zen. 1t is urged against the issuing
of these bonds that the city should
not increase it's bonded Indebtedness,
which is already large; that the wells
are dry as result of the long con-
tinued drouth, which is liable to end
at any time and the wells ill up
again: and that the territory to be
supplied is not thickly settled, and
that the consumers obtained would
not Justify the expense. These are
all statements which justify careful
consideration. The FREE PRESS is
opposed to bond issues on general
principles, and believes that the call
for such an issue should be most
urgent one. The city at all times
should be very careful about increas-
ing its Indebtedness. The utmost
economy should be exercised, and no
improvement entered upon that can
be absolutely gotten along without.
The FREE Press is further of the
opinion that had the city affairs been
managed as carefully in the past as
they should have been, and many
needless expenses avoided, that the
asked for relief upon the hills could
be accomplished without resort to
more bonds. But that is another
matter.
As,to the drouth coming to an end
that is a mere speculative matter.
We allshope it will, but after its great
severity it will manifestly take an ex-
sesdingly heavy rain fall to perma-
nently effect the wells in that locali-
~. Had there been the usual fall
last year, and heavy snow fall dur
ing the winter, it is probable that a
wet spring and summer would afford
the relief desired, for the present at
least. But under the present cir
eumstances such turn of affairs is
matter that is most too much to hope
Tor.
That the territory to be supplied is
not as thickly settled as in the city
below is true, but the people who live
there are in the city limits, are tax
payers, and their demands are en-
titled to some consideration. Water
is something that every human be-
ing must have. They cannot get
along without it, and demand for
IL cannot be put off as can that of
something which may seem necessi-
BY and yet does not enter into the
sustaining of human life. Therefore
the FREE PRESS believes that this
bond proposition comes before the
people in different light then such
Propositions usually do and should be
accorded treatment accordingly at
Ihe hands of the voters.
AS to the assertion that but very
few will take city water should
. system be put in and the drOuth be
broken in the meantime, there may
DE may not be anything to it. If
memory serves us right, the city has
petition signed by large number
Bs the residents Of that section who
have agreed to take water should it
De put in, and we have no reason to
doubt their word. AS to the asser-
sion which has been made that the.
houses in that quarter of the city are
not of suitable nature into which
water can be introduced, because it
rs liable to freeze up in winter, the
same assertion would undoubtedly
hold true as regards one-half or more
Of those in the main part of the city.
This is matter which does not en-
ter into the question at all, for it is
a private affair which will doubtless
be satisfactorily settled when water
connections are made. Nor is the
comparison with the West Mankato
experience we'll taken, for the reason
HAT the conditions are widely differ
eNt, and good wells can be more east
BY and cheaply obtained in the latter
Mace than on the hills.
These are the conditions which con-
'front.' our people. These people On
the hill should not be allowed to suf-
fer because of the want of water, and
they have suffered previously during
The past year, and suffer yet, and the
question before our citizens is wheth-
RY 1t is better to issue few thousand