Arizona republican., 1899-11-07

! Ihey worked last night along cut ana
dried lines. Moses H. Sherman's mis-
leading petition was employed accord
ing to Sherman's plan just as The
Republican believed it would be. But
we doubt if any person in Phoenix out
/ side of the water company and the
council was prepared for the complete
details of that plan. Moses Sherman
has the reputation in Arizona and Cali
fornia of being a Smooth" Individual.
the term smooth" embracing the ad-
jectives "unscrupulous" and foxy
and the modern phrase ''out for the
stuff" The San Francisco Call re-
Gently published a series Of letters
written by him in connection with the
Pacific bank failure which revealed the
fact that Moses, like most Smooth"
people, overreaches. He has over
reached in his present fight against the
taxpayers of Phoenix by naming Will
liam Christy E. ]. Bennitt and DR.. ].
NJ. Ford as a committee to investigate
the question of the expense of munic-
ton of these men removes the last
doubt the taxpayers may have had
concerning the honesty of CAM,
Fickas and Morford. William Christy
is the business associate of Sherman.
He is interested in seeing the Phoenix
Water company strengthen its grip
upon this town. He has been Sher-
mans constant adviser since Sherman
came to Phoenix a week ago to manip-
ulate the council and marshal the op-
position to municipal ownership. He
is not a resident of Phoenix and has no
sympathy with the movement for
comprehensive water system. Com
mon decehcy ought to induce him 20
withdraw from the committee to which
the council has named him. But will
he? AS well might one ask if Moses
H. Sherman Will donate the water
plant to the city. Col. Christy VIII
figure on the cost of a complete sys-
tenn and you may depend that he will
not cause his side partner to walk
the floor and prate of the colonel's in
gratitude.
And E. ]. Bennitt! He's another
rank outsider. He lives in the Bennitt
ponent of annexation. He is a direc
tor in the Valley bank, of which Col.
Christy is president and Moses II.
Sherman is vice president. His sym
and therefore with the Phoenix Water
company. Will z. ]. Bennitt have the
nerve to figure with Christy on the
proposition so vital to the future of
Phoenix? If he does not then Moses
H. Sherman has made another blunder.
AS to DIR. Ford, we are told that he
is opposed to municipal ownership.
Elsewhere in this issue we quote the
remarks of Councilman Dyer regard
ing the doctors sentiments. The fact
that Sherman selected him as a MEM
Der of the committee will be pretty
good evidence to the taxpayers that he
water company.
And this committee of three is to
deliberate and figure and make no re-
port unless it is so minded. General
Sherman was careful to omit a date
for the presentation Of the opinion of
Messrs. Christy, Bennitt and Ford.
They have full license to consume a
year or ten years in getting up their
figures.
We repeat that Moses has over
reached himself. The people of Phoe-
nix now view his jobbery in all its
enormity They realize what General
Ainsworth meant when he said We've
got you and you can't get away"
That unblushing statement compre-
hended all that was done last night by
Sherman's council, and more. The
Phoenix Water company is in the sac
die, and proposes to ride rough shod !
over this community with the aid o: |
the infamous three-Ganz. Morford |
and Fickas. Will the people permit |
such an outrage? Hardly. The high !
handed proceedings of last night have |
given the strongest possible impetus |
to the municipal ownership movement. |
Treachery and jobbery are to be !
rebuked, and to the task the majority /
of Phoenix taxpayers viii now address
themselves.