New-York tribune., 1901-09-24
CIRCUITS RAMAPO FIGHT.
A STATEMENT SHOWING THE IMPOR-
TANT PART TAKEN BY BROOKLYN'S
BOROUGH PRESIDENT IN
PREVENTING A CON
TRACT.

Many facts of interest to the public in con-
| nection with Edward NJ. Grouts opposition 10
Tammanys attempted Ramapo steal were pup
| lshed in the Tribune Sunday. Yesterday the
| committee of eighteen. which recommended
! to the Anti-Tammany Conference the selection
! Of Mr. Grout as the fusion candidate for Con-
| troller issued a statement regarding Mr.. Grout
fight against Ramapo The statement is oaseu
on an examina tion of the records AFTER eA-
planning that the examination extendeo Iro"
March s. 1898. when the Ramapo Water Com
pany first showed its head in the Board OF
Public improvements, to April, l9oo wheh aii
act of the Legislature protecting the city
against the company became law, the state
ment continues:
1t will be noted that the. Ramapo menace was
operative on April 1902 and that & netTeI o and
World" injunctions early in December lsSs a
period of four months the only safegusra scnrsd on
November s. 1899. by Mr.. Grout, 1T his own ,e, eX.
e ann Temained {upfT in force until Apr
ve days after the danger Of Kamapo & of this
is in the following extract from Justice Smiths
Recent legislation affecting the subject matter
of this action has rendered unnecessary decision
upon the merits the various questions argued
by the plaintiff as grounds adequate to sustain the
injunction herein rein granted b.or for Mr. c;rout's
injunction the Board Of Public improvements would
by the denial Of the the rsc6Ia G0eT na n Tame
World iniunctIons Is IN tne To record bes3iated 10
The history of Ramapo in the Board of Public
improvements shows also that Mr.. Grout was the
first to attack the company's proposal and that the
ammunition with which the proposed contract was
The company made its first offer to the city on
March g. 1895. but did not enter into details as to
terms
CIRCUIT MOVED AN ADJOURNMENT.
The statement then quotes from The Brook
lyn Eagle" an account of the Ramapo proceed
ings in the Board of Public Improvements on
June /, 1898, when Commissioner Kearny intro
duced a resolution to give a public hearing on
the offer of the company to supply water TO the
city. Mr.. Grout promptly moved adjourn
ment but President Holahan declared the mo-
ton lost and ordered rollcall on the resolution
after President Bowley, of Queens had made
brief protest. The resolution carried by
the votes of Holahan. Mccartney. Keating. Dal-
ton, kearny, Haffen and Peters, all Tammany
men. while Commissioner Shea was absent, and
Messrs Grout, Bowley and Kane voted in the
negative.
The hearing was held June IA. and the
statement says that the newspaper accounts
indicate that by cross-examining the company's
representatives, Mr.. Grout at that meeting.
aided by Commissioner Shea, but not 10y Con-
troer Coler, who present but took no part
secured more damaging information about the
company than was ever obtained before or
since"
The statement gives the resolution which Mr..
Grout introduced in the Board of Public I'm
provements in April. 1899. quoted in The Trib-
une on Sunday calling upon the Commissioner
of Water Supply to make report upon private
water companies, and also the following pre-
amble and resolution that preceded II:
| Whereas. The Ramapo Water Company has
| pressed upon this board and upon the Mayor OF
the city its proposition to supply water TO the City
| of New-York; and
| Whereas. No contract with any private water
| company be made except by the vote Of this
| board
Be II resolved, That the secretary he directed to
| inform the Ramapo Water Company OF the fol
| lowing declaration of principles, upon which the
| present administration elected, wit:
| ''Al proper municipal functions should be eXer-
csed by the municipality itself. and not delegated
| to others. We favor municipal ownership and mu-
| nicipal control Of all municipal franchises. We OPP
| petuity. We oppose the granting extending OF
any such franchise, or the bestowal of any new
| privilege. on any corporation holding such fran
| chise without adequate compensation to the mu-
| nicipaty. We, therefore, approve as step in the
! right direction the provisions of the charter
| for all franchises TO he granted hereafter and
which limit the terms of all such franchises. with
reverson 10 the city on their expiration"
! The statement contains the account of The
| Brooklyn Eagle to the action taken the
resolutions as follows: