The record-union., 1899-06-16


panies deliver clear water from east
side sources daily, and derive hand
some income from the venture, and the
Users of the water are pleased with it..
Where there were one or two filters
In every hundred or so houses, now
there are filters in all public buildings,
the schoolhouses, and in seven out OF
ten of all dwellings, and two large filter
companies do a rousing business in
renting sthe devices to give the people
pure, clear water
Soon after the vote referred to the
City Trustees were induced to defeat
the will Of the people as manifested at
the polls and repudiated the contract on
the peevish ground that they, the Trus-
tees, were not convinced that there was
ample supply, and. secondly, because
under the contract the people would
lose control of the waterworks, one or
two holding that there was a job in
it.''
schemes have been sprung, which If not
with that intention, are used by the
enemies of clear water to emphasize
their claim that the people are not in
telligent enough to know what they
want. Thus we have schemes to bring
ditch water from Amador County, more
ditch water from Ell Dorado County;
water by costly pipe lines from the
forks Of the American River; schemes
for water from the turgid Costumes,
and even a scheme to erect enormous
mechanical filters, which, with the aid
of some alumni and a good deal of poll
tics is to convert the house drainage
of Northern California into potable wa
ter for the people Of Sacramento. who
are termed by some Mbelers to be too
unintelligent to know what is good for
them.
We are far from suggesting it, but as
it is the order of the day to suspect any
and everybody, may there not be jobs
in these fanciful schemes also? In the
meantime the Record Union" in be-
half of the people Of the Capital City,
brands the libel of unintelligence as
base and groundless.
So then the people have been, and
are intelligent upon the subject-as well
they may be after so much considera-
ton of it-but the officials have dill
gently refused to permit them to prove
their intelligence by testing the capac
ity Of driven wells to supply the water
needed. Thus refusing, they also de-
ny the intelligence of the people. and
in the same breath refuse to employ
official methods to expose the full truth
which they challenge, concerning the
east side supply, by further examina-
ton and tests.
In the meantime they go ahead and
propose scheme to be voted upon that
provides explicitly for continuing the
use of river water, and ignoring any
and all other suggested sources Of sup
ply Is there any job now in the mat
ter? If so it cannot spring from the
friends of an Independent pure water
supply from the east side, because the
one chief objection raised before is
eliminated. 1t is now proposed that
not only shall the city own absolutely
the water supply system. but the water
itself, and everything directly connect
ed with it. If there is a job anywhere
may it not be related to that old stand
by, grit pumps and grit machinery,
dirty water and things appertaining to
the costly process Of pumping into the
wrong ends of water pipes from a
source contaminated and daily growing
worse.
When will the people be intelligent
enough" pray, to vote upon the water
question? When, pray, will the OFF,
cials dare to trust the people? If af-
ter twenty-five years consideration of
the matter; if after having as late as
1898 voted upon the question and
adopted clear, pure water in preference
to river water; if after Boards of
Health, commercial bodies and the peo-
pie at large as well as expert chemists
and analysts have approved the east
side supply. the community is not IN
telligent'' upon the water question,
when will it's alleged ignorance and
stupidity be banished?
The disspatcheS at this writing from