The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-13
SUNDAY. OCTOBER Is, 1901
PAYING AN HONEST DEBT

PAYING AN HONESl DEB
The Boston Advertiser denounces the
proposal to reimburse the towns of
Clinton, Sterling and Holden for losses
due to the taking of property for the
metropolitan water basin as "a
steal" It admits that cit hurts the
feelings of our good friends in Sterl-
ing Clinton and Holden to have this
unpleasant name applied to their pro-
ject." If the deal goes through the
state treasury will be open to unlimited
or almost unlimited loot by any town
that is bold and shameless enough to
put in claim. That is wrong, we
think 1t is a weak position anyhow.
The Advertiser says that payment
has been made for every foot of land
taken, and that the towns now want
payment for Something that cannot be
seen or measured or weighed by hui
man hands,
If the towns of Sterling, Holden and
Clinton have not been damaged by the
building of metropolitan water basin
for the benefit of the city of Boston and
the rest of the metropolitan water dis
triot, then. of course, these towns are
not entitled to a recompense. But they
have.
The city of Worcester claims moth
ing. The city of Worcester is entitled
to nothing. The construction Of this
magnificent reservoir in Worcester
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haps, to the city of Worcester. It will
be a pleasant drive, it will be mag
nifcent addition to the scenery. We
hope and expect; but does it not mean
harm to the towns where it is located?
The towns of Hopkinton and Ashland
have been finally reimbursed because.
in the same way, they have been ru-
ined 1t was no fault of the citizens of
Ashland or Hopkinton to have inner
tied property in a town which was
destined to be destroyed for the bene-
fit of the city of Boston. 1t took a
long series of years to establish the
fact that the building of the Sudbury
River water basin would actually de-
stroy these towns and impoverish the
property owners. Both of these places
were promising villages. They were
growing and the property had an es-
tablished value, owing to the business
there and the confidepce in the towns
future The industries were destroyed
by the taking of the Sudbury River
by the city of Boston. The business
4oTy
The Legislature has been finally
convinced in both of these cases of the
justice of the claims, and some money
compensation given on account of the
damages. To have done anything else
would have been a disgrace to the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. a
blot upon the honor of the city of Bos-
ton and its suburbs.
Boston isn't too poor to pay the
price necessary to get good water. 1t
cannot afford to repudiate a debt like
this. The state assumes the right to
seize upon all property necessary to
furnish reservoirs for a water supply.
Consequential damages" may not be
provided for in a court of law, but no
man has a right to injure another de-
liberately without compensation; no
city has right to damage and destroy
another town without compensation.
No man who knows Ashland and Hop
kinton as they were and as they are
would disapprove of the action of the
legislature
A. for Clinton TJoldar, avd C+or1;r,rr
it is too early to estimate the damage
that will be done there. That there
viii be damage is generally conceded.
The towns will suffer, all forms Of
property and business have been and
will be further injured by the con-
struction of the great reservoir. This
is admitted by every sane person who
has a knowledge of the situation.
The Commonwealth of Massachu-
sets, the city of Boston and the met
ropolitan water district have no right
to injure the humblest citizen Of the
Commonwealth under any pretext
without proper compensation. This is
new and unusual form, but there is
no need TO fear the future. The
Advertiser is afraid that "once the
principle of paying consequential dam
ages is firmly established, it will be
easy enough to devise pretexts for
claims for damages. whenever an in
dustrial site is changed" No principle
is being established in this case that is
wrong No taxpayer, or set of tax
r,aVers is being robbed nv aUardino,
damages of this sort.
If the towns were injured by some
act of their own, by the act of some
individual or by an act Of Providence,
the case would be entirely different.
The metropolitan water district
should not squeaL 1t is taking from
the state Of Massachusetts all the val