The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-27

under an arrangement Of mutual good
faith. has found investment i'm Grea,
Falls. On all those scores these citi-
zens do o stand in need OF preaching
! or of exhortation.
However. there are stipulations by
! the terms of which it was made pos
! sible for the city of Great Falls to ac-
quire possession OF the water plant.
The trouble is that. under these stlpu-
l%ations. after long and tedious dicker-
ing. IL has been found impossible for
the city and the representatives of the
water company to come to terms. To
begin with. IL became necessary TO as
certain the sentiment of the people OF
Great Falls on the general PROPOSE
ton Of municipal ownership of the
city's water supply. That point was
settled long ago by methods that must
be deemed conclusive. and il was set
tied in favor Of city ownership. Then
came up the question whether the COM
munity favored city ownership as rep
resented in the water company's plant.
In various ways, which are a matter
VI ftCofu ant WHICH IN a future eul-
ton the Standard will describe. public
sentiment was found to be favorable
To the acquiring of the present plant.
at a figure which should he found to be
even generous 10 the water
The inability of the city TO come to
satisfactory terms with the water COM
pany. in the matter of price for the
plant. has dragged the issue along and
up to its present unsettled condition,
and the city is passing into the newes
phase of the controversy. That Is pre-
scented in the question. Shall the city,
despite the fact that IL has contract
obligations which must be honored and
which run for several years-shall the
city. nevertheless, proceed to build a
plant of its own? The answer to that
question involves the study of avail
able sources of supply. of the ability
To place bonds. of the effect in the way
of taxes, of the benefits to accrue; the
answer to the question concerns the
citizens who pay the taxes. the gov
erning function represented in the city
council. the whole body of dwellers i'm
Great Falls. the men who represent the
stock Of the water company, the peo-
pie who hold the company's bonds-ali
are interested.
The shape in which matters are at
the present moment warrants the
Standard this morning In making these
two assertions by way of preface
first, the city of Great Falls will not
pay the price demanded by the water
company for its plant. Secondly, the
people of Great Falls are moving pref
ty rapidly toward the point where. with
patience exhausted and after prudent
consideration OF every factor I'm the
case. they will declare for an indepen-
dent water plant. Thai point once
passed. the water company will dis
cover that the time has arrived when
courtesies don't count; nonresident
bondholders will wisely take notice of
that fact. In this movement. believing
1t to be right and best for all the peo-
pie of Great Falls. the Standard de-
clares itself enlisted. The proposition
is hat the city of Great Falls shall
own it's water plant. II projects now
under consideration are found to be
feasible. This plan will be carried out
without improper prejudice respecting
individual interests: but IL may be
written down now, as settled. that no
private water company shall be per-
mitted. by unfair methods, to thwart
the purpose of the people.
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