The San Francisco call., 1898-01-17
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ra WdlCl NOutldiiJs lto 'fCf'o VT S'tS S'eN SH a ation are below. q 6 6 6 6 6 ccc 6 G 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 To the Editor of The Call-Sir: It is indeed fortunate for the city of Los Angeles that a great newspaper like The Call is willing to take up the fight of it's people against the corpor- ate monopoly which now controls its water supply, and which is seeking through a subsidized press to perpetu- ate such control, or to swindle the city by selling what it has for $2,000, 900 more than it is worth.
 The Los Angeles dailies with one exception-the Record-have openly espoused the cause of the water com pany, and the fact that The Call has taken up the cudgel on behalf of the people makes the promise for the fu- ture brighter.
 Every city official-certainly every member of the present Council-was pledged prior to election to take steps immediately to secure a municipal water system, to be owned and con- trolled by the city. Nothing was said in any of the platforms or pledges about waiting until next July to see if the water company's plant could be purchased, and no candidate men toned such a thing during the cam paign; if one had, such one would not now be a city official
 The Democratic platform especially ignored the plant Of the water com pany and pledged it's candidates to immediately construct an independ- ent water system, and. if practicable. to bring the water from a mountain source and not from the Los Angeles H. ply.
 As early as January 12. 1897. intro duced a resolution in the Council di- recting the City Engineer to prepare plans and specifications for water system to be owned by the city, with estimate of cost. This was voted down. The Herald next day denounced the majority for having betrayed the people, but the Herald was not then controlled by the water company.
 It then became evident that a ma jority of the Council were not going to carry out their pledges, but were going to try and find out how not to do it. The lion in the way was found in the shape of a contract be- tween the city and the water com pany, made in 1868, binding the city to buy the improvements of the water company in July. 1S9S at a price to be agreed on or fixed by arbitration. am credibly informed that this contract was secured by corruption and fraud, and every one I have talk ed with who was familiar with the matter at that early date has stated that it was a job. But be that as it may, no attorney not in the employ of the water company has ever claim ed that their contract could be en- forced against the city. In this con nection I may state that my under- standing of the law is that a city of ficial Is in duty bound to insist upon every legal right and legal defense which the city has.
 Now although every city official knew of this contract as well when he made his pledge for immediate construction of a water system as he does now, still the majority of the Council are making tnls contract their excuse for not carrying out their pledges.
 Impatient with the delay about this. thousands of residents of the city In November last filed a petition with the Council asking that an election be immediately called to vote bonds to build a water system. This was referred to the Water Supply Com mittee, which committee held a public meeting to consider it. Any ordinary man hearing the discussion which took place at this meeting would have supposed that prominent member of the Water Supply Com mittee was there as the special agent of the water company, so watchful was he of the interests of that cor poration and so fearful lest the square thing shoud not be done by that soul less organization. Even the special counsel of the city did not seem to have even bothered his brain or dis turbed his lawbook in endeavoring to advise the city how to avoid the aforementioned contract. In fact, it seemed that this contract was a savior and a deliverer to the majority of the Water Supply Committee. which led them out of the land of bondage to their pledges to the peo- pie, not to mention their reaching the water company land of milk and honey.
 The petition was reported back with a recommendation in substance that the water company be requested to please consent to immediately sell it's plant to the city. The water company has not as yet hearkened to the prayer of the Council. and some, lack ing in faith, say 1t never will.
 What will the Council do? Well. I