The San Francisco call., 1898-01-30


 gathered, not as partisans, but as citi- zens, fighting for their homes and fam flies They had gathered, he said, not to destroy anybody's property or to make any attempt to take from any man or corporation his or its legal rights. Then. taking up the water question, MT. Hazard said that if the city was going to buy the water com pany's plant it was about time for citf- zens to know where the money was coming from to buy with. AS yet noth- ing in this direction had been done.
 "The city," said MT. Hazard. wants to give the water company every dol lar that is due it, but it does not pro- pose to pay $5 for piece of pipe that Is not worth 50 cents. We are here though, to deprecate taking from the company anything which is not ours, or which. if it is theirs we will not pay for But if the plant is only worth one million we are not going to pay three million for it.
 Mr. Hazard then introduced the Mayor of the city, M. r. Snyder MT. Snyder spoke as follows:
 Fellow Citizens. Ladies and Gentlemen: This mass meeting called tonight for the
 
 is one of great importance. The water question is one that is near the hearts of all good citizens. Even now they look to the time when the city will get possession of its plant and control 1t in the interest of the people, with abundance of pure water at a respectable cost. During the last city campaign the war cry of all po- litical parties was municipal ownership of water works" That was the issue of the campaign. and when the people went to the polls to cast their ballots they voted for the men whom they believed to be honest, whom they believed to be closely identified with the interests Of the people and who would stand by the
 It is indeed an unfortunate situation that a citizen, 1t matters not whether he be Mayor or a man in the private walks of life, should be referred to as dema- gogue, or as one nlaylng to the galleries when he en~eavors to carry out the blanks in the platform on which he was elected I say it is an unfortunate situa- tiOn for the city of Los Angeles that when a man stands for the people against the corporations he should be ac- cused of being a confscator.
 On the l2Jh of last July l sent a special message to the council urging that body to see to it that nothing be left undone to secure municipal ownership of water. My position was immediately criticized. because 1 was urging the Council to arrange to secure all the information to be obtained as to the value of the plant and as soon as possible arrive at an agreement as to the price to be paid to the water company for its improvements at the expiration of the contract.
 For taking that position I was repre- sented to the public as playing to the galleries and l know not what else. My position on the water question, l believe, is so well known that such comment would have no weight, and I pass that by. The contract between the water company and the city will expire on the 22d of next July. Only about six months remain in which to act, in which we have time to carry out our contract I do not wish to be considered as advocating the r1s rights in the controversy, but to the con- trary I maintain that the water company has certain moral if not legal rights un- der the thirty year contract which should be respected by the city: and I also claim that the city has certain legal rights which must and shall be respected by the water company. Loud and long contin-
 If the city does not assume an aggres- sive policy this water controversy will continue indefinitely. In the event that the city. after doing everything within its power fails to bring about a settlement by reason of the water company refusing to appoint its arbitrator. there is but one course to pursue, which it cannot get around, and that course is that at the expiration of the lease the city's interests are to be protected. It will be the duty of the city to take possession of the water company's plant and everything that goes to make up the system. [Ap-
 There is not a single word in the con- tract that the city shall not get posses sion of it's property at the expiration of the lease. But that contract does say that the water company will make such improvements as are mentioned in the contract, and keep them in repair for period of thirty years and then turn the water works over to the city
 1 claim that the city of Los Angeles IS solvent corporation and that the water company can recover from the city every dollar 1t is entitled to under the contract; and l claim that the City Water Com pany Is simply acting as trustee for the city, and in that capacity it has nothing to say in regard to the operation of the water company's plant after the expira- ton of the contract. All the claim that the water company has against the city Is for the value of the Improvements. Remember. fellow citizens, that should the water company continue in posses sion of that plant after the expiration of the lease the revenues, which amount to great sum of money, would go into the pockets of the stockholders instead of lnto- the city treasury, where they legally belong.
 I believe that the Council should be in a position to-day to say whether or no they are going to arrive at the price to pay the water company at the expiration of the, lease. I believe they should have taken legal steps weeks ago. If they are hot going to be able to arrive at the price, then, l claim, in order to carry out the contract it is the duty of the Council to proceed under that contract to appoint an arbitrator and notify the wa ter company of their action and ask the water company to also carry out the con- LIdCl Dy udU1iUS lHelr aTDllTdIOr-
 I have not said one word about confis- cation. What is there to confscate? The city owns the water plant and has all ways owned it. (Applause)
 l have always held that it is the duty of the city to pay the water company the value of its improvements and no more. If they are ready to accept that, that is is all there is to the question. I am exer- ctsing every effort to bring about fair settlement of the question at issue and I shall continue to do so while I fill the position I now hold. It matters not If every paper from Siskiyou to San Diego calls me demagogue and an anarchist Enthusiastic and long-continued ap- plause)
 City Engineer J. H. Dockweiler was the next speaker MT. Dockweiler was warmly received. He made a brief talk in which he gave some detailed infor- nation concerning the water plant The City Engineer placed himself squarely on the same platform with the Mayor in the battle for municipal ownership. In 1891. MT. Dockweiler, as City Engineer, made the first report on the water company's plant and it's con dition and value. He reviewed his past work in this rnf0aafinn +l,ao