The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-23
Opposition Growing Desperate
and Losing Ground.
THE ISSUE is PLAIN.
1t Is the People Against the
New Jersey Corporation.
The People Must Be Awake on
Election Day.
Duty of Every Believer in To-
peka to Vote.


on Saturday. There is every indication
that the vote will be large. The friends
of the water company are losing no
time. They are rounding up their
voters to capture the polls and take the
people by surprise.
The play by which the Republicans
were to be frightened by charging the
supporters of Mr.. Drew with being
mugwumps has been made. They have
made an effort to eliminate the water
works issue, but have left their can
didate without any other platform on
which to stand.
An attempt ives made to defeat Coun-
Gilman Fred Roundtree by bringing out
a white man of good reputation and
with a large following of friends and
they expected to carry that load also.
It proved too heavy and the candidate
against Councilman Roundtree in the
Fifth ward has withdrawn from the
race.
The intelligent colored voters rebered.
for the scheme to defeat their candidate
was too gauzy to bear close inspection.
The colored people will not soon forget
the lesson they have learned from the
men who pretended to be their friends.
The opposition still hopes to defeat
Councilman John Elliott in the Third
ward, but with little chance of success
Mr.. Elliott is a heavy taxpayer and he
can be trusted for he has been tried
1t is only a few years since Councilman
Elliott was tried by the water company,
but he came out of the council with
clean record. 1t was in 1891 that the
water company tried to buy an extern
sion of the franchise by bribing coun-
Gilman and from that time until the
between the people and the water COM
pany.
The men who are trying to defeat the
nomination of Mr.. Drew by fair means
or foul have taken the contract to nom
mate c. E. Gault for city attorney. Mr..
Bird is in their way. He is exceedingly
troublesome to the water company and
the combination on Mr.. Gault to defeat
him will not hurt Mr.. Bird nor help Mr..
Gault. Mr.. Gault is a young man of
considerable ability but this is more
than question between men.
In every ward in the city Organiza-
lions have been made to capture the
polls on the morning of election day.
With the organization of each polling
place in the hands of the friends of the
water company the cause of the peo-
pie would be in danger and 1t would be
well for the voters in the precincts to
be alive to the situation.
The discussion of the water franchise
question has set people to wondering
concerning the rights of the New Jersey
corporation in Topeka. City Attorney
Bird claims that the company now do
ing business in Topeka has really no
franchise and he has commenced an &C
ton in the state supreme court to GUST
the company so far as lega1 measures
can do so.
The friends of the water company
who have at last been driven from con-
cealment are now discussing the ques-
ton on the streets in connection with
the city campaign. They claim 1t is not
an issue but do not hesitate to defend
the company when the occasion pre-
SentS itself.
one of the things they claim is that
the city of Topeka is under obligation
to buy the plant of the company at the
expiration of the franchise. If the con-
tention of City Attorney Bird is correct
the company has no franchise and the
people of Topeka are under no obiga-
ton whatever to the New Jersey con-
Germ.
1t is also claimed that the city would
be liable for the $14, 500 hydrant rentals
even if a new plant is built. OF course
that would be out OF the question II
the contention of City Attorney BIRD
is upheld by the courts but the follow
ing extract from the franchise granted
the old Topeka Water Supply company
which was a Kansas corporation 1nd1-
Gates that the council at that time fore
saw a contest on this point:
THE right in this section granted to
continue to be enjoyed by said company
during the term of its corporate exist
ence; but nothing in this section named
shall be construed into an obligation on
the part of the city to continue taking
water from said company after the con-
tract which may be made under this
ordinance shall terminate"
The issue is clear cut in this contest.
1t makes little difference what is said
about the Journal for that does not en-
ter into the question at issue. The Jour
nal is satisfied with upholding the cause
of the people and laboring for the best
interests of the city.