Arizona republican., 1899-01-19
BAKER OPPOSES THE BONDS
A Meeting Which Was Intended 10
 Discourage.

There were probably twc hundred people in the supreme court rc3m last night when Judge Baker, who had been invited to address the opponents of the water and sewerage bond proposition, began his address. Not all whc were present were enemies Of the city cCun- cil's plan, but the majority undoubted- ly were. MT. E. Gang called the meet ing to order. Judge Baker occupied a seat inside the bar, and near him sat John Dunbar, Doctor Lightburne and other prominent taxpayers, who take the ground that the success of the plan to bond the city for water works and sewers would plunge the community into a sea of financial ills
 Judge Baker pref3ced his o-atic,1 Awith the statement that he could not Sully understand why he had. been
 elected to voice the opposition to the
 pnds, as he really knew nothing
 gcut the matter. This, he hastened
 add, was no bar to a candid discus
 on of the question, because nobody
 htside of the city council knew any
 hing about it. The people were asked,
 e said, to endorse a plan the particu-
 ars Of which were withheld frcm wthem. Then, his voice rising as he warmed to the tCpic, the judge launch ed into denunciation Of the Yavapa1 bonds, the Pima bends and all territo- rial bonds in general. A stranger lis tening to him might be pardcned fer assuming that every band issued in Arizona covered a reeking mass Of ini- quity. When he had finished hanging Inc railroad and municipal bonded in debtedness where all could see the cor Guption ooZing from it, he turned to the questcn .ef the city's taxable prop erty, and declared that the taxpayers were paying on full valuati-n Of their property q undertake to say,' he thundered, that the property cf this city is taxed to it's full market value. The owner Of 9 house in this c-ty might better sell out and pay rent. say that taxes are high en-ugh." The judge essayed to give particulars con- corning the city's receipts firm licenses but fell far short. It might be S1,5OO CT $15, ,OOO it didn't matter much. The fact remained that the city had a tre- mendous debt and yet the city council asked the taxpayers to vo e to increase that indebtedness by S265,000, the in terest on which would be $13,250.
 The judges tale Of woe took on addi- tional mcurnfulnesS as he Gilated cn the evils that would follow the success of the city councils scheme. Are yCu ready to add to your buIden?" he shrieked.
 The judge asked what the people proposed tC do with the present water ccmpany's charter. It is, In his opinion so binding that nc court can break it. | He attested afresh to his lack of info.- i nation on the question by asserting that the public had been left in igncr- ance as to the location of the proposed ! waterworks, and as to the plans and | specifications. The particulars of the plans have been published, and any taxpayer can see them by applying to f the city council. The maps are in plain . view in the council chamber
 Preparatory t9 a cold blooded at \ tack upon the character Of Mayer Adams, Judge Baker arraigned the . council fer it's selection Of an advis-ry committee, asserting that the integrity of the council had not been question: ,, ed and that the naming of this commit t tee was equivalent to an admission Of | weakness. The judge probably had noI f