Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-02-06
IMMEDIATE
Action Is Necessary
If City's Interests Are to
be Preserved.
Councilman Fiebeger
Discusses Water Rights.
Barberton, Massilion and
Canton
May Try to Get Control When Canals
Abandoned.

81 was pleased to note that Solicitor
by last nights Democrat that Solicitor
Esgate had given an opinion to the ef-
feet that the City's contract with the
Akron Water Works is Illegal said
Councilman Fiebeger today. Council
man Paul cannot be praised too high
ly for bringing the matter to the at
tention of the city authorities. Had
the contract been permitted to stand,
the city would have been prevented
from ever constructing its own water
works plant. II would have had to
purchase the plant Of the present com
pany or continue with private owner
ship and operation of the plant"
Councilman Fiebcgcr thinks the
thing now to do Is to bend all efforts
toward the repeal of the law which
stops the city from eXpending more
than 100000 for the construction of
its own water works plant, SO that the
people may be free to act.
"It is the intention of the present
council to let the people decide the
water works question for themselves.
If they prefer to own their own plant
or make new contract with the Wa
ter Company they should be given the
opportunity to say so at the election
| this spring. OF course the Water Com
pany will very likely await the action
of the court before it will take the So
| licitor's opinion for granted that tue
contract is illegal, but there is only
one thing for therity to do and that is,
sustain the Solicitor in his opinion.
If the contracts illegality is sustain
ed in the court, it will be worth many
thousands of dollars to Akron people,
on account of the opportunity it gives
them to obtain better advantages for
the city in event of a new contract be-
ing made or the city's owning its own
plant"
~ believe the day will come" con-
tinued Councilman Fiebegcr, when
most of the cities of Ohio will be sup
piled with pure water from Lake Erie.
| TO supply all of the cities from Akron
to the Ohio river 1t would he necessary
to raise the water only 200 feet over
the Summit portage, when IL would he
conducted TO the cities south of here
by its own gravitation. I want to re.
peat that Akron cannot begin too soon
to make certain its right to perpetual
use of the water rights involved in the
state water rights few miles south of
the city. AS Barberton grows, that city
will also be competitor for these
rights, together with Massillon and
Canton. In the event that the canal is
abandoned and the State ceases its use
of these waters, an effort will be made
to divert the flow of the water from
Long lake, Dollar lake, Nesmith lake
the Reservoirs and Turkey Foot lake
to it's original channel, the Tuscarawas
river. All that would be necessary tc
cause this diversion would be to teal
out the dam on the Tuscarawas at the
feeder, three miles south of the city,"
"The natural highway of this water is
toward Barberton and Massillon in
stead of Akron, and if Akron people
expect to preserve their rights for tho
future, they should begin an active
and aggressive campaign to that end
Or. Bulls COugh Syrup never disapp0int.