The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-02-13
Verdant,s Observations.

Editor Glacier: Permit me to plead
guilty to the charge of ignorance of
popular methods and Hsages of legisla-
tive bodies. / have been told by older
people who have had experience, as
we'll as observation, that Conventions
at best are but lame exponents of pub.
lie opinion" and that one of the most
uncertain things is the pledge of can
dldate for the legislature made before
election. Further, please allow me to
serve notice on the good people of the
city that have no burden or bad in
vestment which l wish to unload on
the city or municipal. corporation. /
am willing when the proper time
comes to have my public career and
business transactions for the past three
years held up to the public gaze for In
vestigation, All ] claim Is that / am
interested In what will be for the best
interests of all the people of Hood River
and to he entitled to the right to with
hold or conceal my identity in discuss
Ing public question or complimenting
q worthy citizen, or giving u gentle
tip which might be Of advantag to
him. Life Ia too short and full of
crlnkun crankums to engage in dis
cussing personalities. "We are con-
fronted by condition" that is appall.
ing to the statesman, not Customary,
Impractical, unconstitutional theories"
The question now Is, what Is to become
of the people II private corporations
are allowed to continue to control every
means of subsistence? land, bread,
meat, fuel, clothing and water, all of
these In the last quarter of the nine.
teenth century passed over under the
control OF private corporations, and the
occupiers of the land are subject to the
will of corporations, while the dealers
In commodities have become merely
the agents of corporations. Nothing is
absolutely free in the commercial world
but the air we breathe. This is the
reason why am uncompromisingly
IN favor Of Hood River and every other
municipality owning and operating
their public utilities and regret thai
the charter prohibits this city from
owning water works or an electric
lighting plant, In my ignorance of
legislative usages had always sup.
posed that one legislature could pass
no act that succeeding legislature
could not repeal or amend in obedience
to the will of the majority of the peo.
pie. l am still Of the opinion that they
can In relation to the LIQUOR traffic,
Recent developments show that the
city is no nearer solution OF securing A
water supply and fire protection than it
was before the last election. We seem
to have secured another cat, the two
cats tails tied together and swung over
the clothes line to fight il out and en-.
tertain the people while their buildings
and property burns up. II there was
not a good profit in supplying the CITY
with water and prospective large in.
crease, these corporations would not be
fighting inch by inch to secure the iran.
chise and contracts. As the city seems
to be barred from building and opera.
ting system of its own, | will not
recede from the proposition that il Is
right and in the interest of every patron
and consumer of water, that the city
should own and operate water supply
and furnish the supply at cost of ren.
dering the service and keeping the plant
in good condition. IL is an axiom that
the best and cheapest service is rendered
always when it is furnished BY the
public.
The government OF the United States
furnished the money TO build and equip
the first telegraph line, but was after.
ward induced TO turn il over to a private
corporation, and today the price Of the
service is exlortionate and out OF reach o.
the masses. The government continued
TO operate the mail service, and today
the price is low and the service unsur.
passed and within the reach Of all, and I