The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1900-05-24
BETTER THAN THE rorING or BONDS

been 10 the city several weeks endeav-
oring to worry the council into grant
ing them concessions, uses a column
of space this morning in opposing
proposition offered by Mr.. Withers Of
Texas for putting a complete sewer.
age system in Guthrie.
The LEADER has recently made some
Investigations relative to Withers'
proposition, and, so far as we are able
to learn, there is no private snap or
inner rakeoff connected with the mat
ter. 1t is merely a plain, business
p, Nposition, and, so far as we are able
10 perceive it possesses none of the
terrors outlined in the Capital. With
the Capital sel6shness is supreme the
in terests Of water consumers and small
taxpayers are nothing to that paper.
AS we understand Mr.. Withers' pro-
position, he offers to build sewerage
system-understand US, a system, not
q few sewer pipes laid on certain
streets-in Guthrie, and charge each
householder so much rental monthly,
quarterly or yearly, for sanitation,
The city IS not asked to give an ex-
ed to vote $40, 600 to a sewerless sewer
age system; the taxpayers are not
asked to tax themselves in order that
the large property owners may en-
hance the value Of their respective
properties.
We see nothing inconsistent or
smacking of octupi in this proposition.
1t is eminently more just and safe
than the blind voting of bonds with
trimmings in order that corrupt Of
fcials may gut the taxpayers. There
is nothing about the proposition in
violation of the civy ordinances Gov
ering the subject.
In word, Withers, as we under
stand it, offers to form a stock COM
pany capitalized at 100000 to build,
operate and maintain a sewerage sys-
tenn in Guthrie. The sewerage mains
are to reach from West Guthrie to
Capitol Bill; from the extreme north
ern to the southern boundaries of the
city The council is asked to grant a
franchise to this company. The fran
chse is not exclusive, and a compel
ing company is privileged to ask for a
like franchise. Withers does not force
any of the company stock upon the
city, but he asks that a fourth of the
capital stock be held by Guthrie clti-
zens, and that directors be stationed
here. The operation OF the system
shall be regulated by ordinance and
any irregulsrlty forfeits the franchise
at the option of the city. The city is
seweraged and each householder pays
so much rental for having his proper
ty drained. A fixed schedule of rates
/ is named in the franchise, and the city
is always in position to guard against
extortion. After one year the city is
privileged to buy and operate the
plant, but it is not required to dig up
100000 as the Capital misstates
In the event the city wishes
to purchase, the plant is taken at its
appraised value.
To our mind the proposition is emf
nently fair; there is no Juggling about
it, the city is out nothing, and more
over the small taxpayer will not be
forced to bear the burdens of heavy pro
perty owners which would be the case
in the event of sewerage bonds being
voted. There may be steal" in the
Withers scheme, but if so we have
thus far failed to discover it. The city
is sewerless now, and it can lose moth
ing by giving the Withers proposition
a run for it's money.
The Capital eternslly argues from
the standpoint of the man who owns a
lot of property and dislikes to Pay the
taxes on it.
Two efforts have been made to vote
bonds for sewerage in this city, and
through short-sig htedness and politica
lelgerdemain both these propositions
were defeated. The taxpayers were
not enlightened and they refused to
be buncoed. Voting sewerage bonds
is generally big, lugubrious, ghastly
political steal. The LEADER always
fought the political bond proposition,
and we believe, now that At . special
] election TO vots bonds for sewerage,