The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-09-06
FROM Mr.. FREY.
Santa Fe General Manager Fa-
VOrs TOpeka's Progress.
Tells Why He Will Vote For
the City Hall.
GROWING DESPERATE.
Unfounded Statements, Design
ed to Prejudice the People.
Topeka People Will Think For
Themselves.

General Manager Frey of the Santa
Fe is loyal to Topeka He has the fac
ulty Of looking far ahead and it is plain
to him that to defeat the city hall prop
osition would be a blow to the city from
which it would require years to recover.
It hope that the people of Topeka
will give the city hall proposition the
support it deserves said Mr.. Frey.
Topeka is one of the best cities in the
west and it seems to me that it would
be a great mistake to take a step back
ward
Every citizen of Topeka should be
interested in the progress and welfare
of the city. The question which the
public spirited voter should ask himself
is: Does Topeka need a city halI?' If
he concludes that it does there ought
to be no question about his vote.
There should be nothing personal
in this movement. The question surely
rises above every thing of a sectional
or personal nature. The people should
join hands in all things that concern
the welfare of Topeka. Nothing can be
accomplished by divided action.
Every laboring man has the same
interest in the city that I have. This is
his home and it is to his interest to help
make Topeka a better place in which
to live. For that reason I do not believe
that the question which will be decided
at the polls next Saturday is in danger.
I hope to see majority for the propo-
sition that will make every citizen who
favors progress glad that he lives in
Topeka, Kansas"
Vote for Progress!
The opponents of progress have un-
earthed a deep-dyed plotl They have
discovered a scheme to defeat the is
suance of the Waterworl1s bonds-so
they claim. They say without giving
any authority to substantiate their
statements, that if bonds are voted for
the city hall it will increase the indebt-
edness of the city to such an extent
that the $4,000 waterworks bonds will
run the city's Indebtedness beyond the
limit allowed by law. The plot which
the enemies of progress claim to have
uncovered is that the city hall project
is simply a scheme on the part of the
friends of the water company to run
the Indebtedness of the city so high
that the WaterwOrks bonds can not be
issued
It is well for the persons who Matched
this discovery that they made no at
tempt to prove it, for they would have
failed dismally. AS a matter of fact,
even if the building of the city hall
would increase the city's Indebtedness
as they claim it would, waterWOrkS
bonds are entirely separate from other
Indebtedness and do not come within
any limitations in which other indebt-
d
school, waterworks, sewer and paving
Indebtedness independent of any such
limitations. The only limit placed on
the issuance of waterworks bonds is
that they shall not exceed 20 per cent
of the assessed valuation of the city.
Under this provision the city of Topeka
could issue waterWorks bonds to the
amount of 81 500, 600 no matter what the
other Indebtedness of the city might be.
In speaking of this matter today
Judge Carver said:
so far as can discover there is no
limitation on the bonded Indebtedness
in cities of the first-class. There is a
limit placed on the levy a city may
make, which partially places limit on
the indebtedness The law says a city
of the first-class can not make levy
of more than 2 per cent, except for
schools, waterwOrks, sewers, street
paving and special improvements. Even
with all these things included, with the
exception of schools, the levy in Topeka
is only 1S15 mills, so we are a long ways
from the limit.
THE law which authorizes the is
suance of bonds for the purchase or
erection of waterworks is chapter 80 of
the session laws of 1897. In section
cities are given the power to purchase
and build WaterWOrkS, electric light,
gas and other plants and section 9, then
says: For any and all Indebtedness
created for any of the purposes men
toned in section of this act. any city
of the first, second or third class is
hereby granted full power and author
ity to issue bonds of the city to an
amount equal to said indebtedness; the
said power to create said Indebtedness
is Independent of and in addition to like
and other powers heretofore granted
such cities: but such bonds shall not be
issued in amount to exceed twenty per
cent of the assessed value of said city
as shown by the last preceding census
Under that statute the city can is
sue WaterWorks bonds up to 81 600, 000
no matter what the other Indebtedness
may be-"
This simply shows the extent to
which the opponents of progress are
doing in order to accomplish their ends.
ends.
Vote for Progress!
A prominent Topeka business man
terested in the welfare of Topeka, in a
communication to the State Journal to-
day says:
1T is unfortunate fact that there
is in Topeka an element, that rather
than see their own selfish desires un-
gratified are willing to do everything in
their power to stop the progress of the
city. Convinced Of the weakness of
their case they have sought by any
and all means. by the circulation of
stories that they know to be untrue,
and by attacking the integrity of those
strength They have attempted to ap-
peal to the prejudices of one class and
to poison the minds of others; they
have tried by underhanded methods to
clothe their cause with a semblance
of fairness. which if left to its own
merits it does not possess.
The most enthusiastic of the OBJ
jectors does not deny the necessity to
Topeka of a convention hail. neither do
they claim that that there is other