Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-20

| calities Accept not my word but the
Word of the law of the Supreme Court
that the district scheme is absolutely
constitutional in evcry way This
scheme was born in the brain OF a
bright lawyer in Watervilc. He came
from the upper part of Somerset
county and hung out his single He
turned up in the Supreme Court in
Portland one day with this scheme and
a number of lawyers talked the matter
over. The court said that Harvey d.
Eaton had succeeded in ploughing
around the constitution.
| I owned a set of water works once.
| borrowed the money and built my
! works. Somebody else has the
works now. l worked several years to
take up my notes. I learned one
| blessed thing. / found out how much
they cost, and when I say to you that
| it is my honest opinion that these
works did not cost 100000, | ought to
know what | am talking about. My
| experience gave me some knowledge
| and | use that knowledge when 1 say
to you that it will be abundantly prov
en- before these three referees that this
| watered stock never cost those men one
cent.
If there is anything about this, any,
thing in my line of law, any question
| of law anything about this matter that
I can be of any service to any voter
here before 1 close I shall be glad to
answer any questions in my power. l
won't charge you anything.
III
that are quite complicated. Getting
around the constitution in order to
reach the same results has to have
considerable red tape. To Summarize:
You will vote here on the 22d of June.
If you vote yes the mayor and alder
men elect and undoubtedly will take
great pride, without any regard to
politics, in selecting the three very
best and strongest business men that
can be found in this town. Those
three men will employ the very finest
engineers and those engineers will
study those water sheds that are with
in our reach. I anticipate that no en-
gineers will be found by the people Of
Augusta who will go to the city of Au-
gusta and say that the Kennebec river
is a proper supply. l do not want TO
say anything to hurt, the feelings Of
the men who went to Albany. If fill
tration at 5 per cent. is a good thing for
the Augusta Water Company, it is q
better thing for US at 312 per cent If
we get pure water by filtration and
cheaper all water rates, it is Il better
thing for us than for them. If the Au-
gusta Water Company should sign the
most solemn contract filter the
water of the Kennebec, how much bet
ter off would you be than you are to-
day. Let me read you from their
present contract Item LIST: THE water
shall be taken from the Kenncbec
river at a point above the dam,
through a conduit pipe thoroughly
screened and filtered before pump
ing" What is the worth of n new
piece Of paper signed by the Augusta
Water Company, saying for the rest
of the life of the contract they would
keep this pledge, when for sixteen
years they have broken 1t? Talk
about the good faith of this company,
gentlemen! Have you ever read this
contract? In so many words it says
that the city shall not touch one of
those hydrants while the ground is
frozen.
1t Is made the duty of the company
to keep them in condition for use.
contract drawn so explicitly and with
such a reservation for those hydrants
during the winter should have been
kept. The city of Augusta is forbid
den by contract to touch one of these
hydrants during the winter months.
How did they keep that contract? Just
as they did Item list in the contract
which said that the water should be
taken from the river through q con-
duit and thoroughly filtered. There are
other things in that contract that they
have violated. The city of Augusta
has no cause for complaint as n city
from a financial standpoint for what
they pay for water, but can't they af-
ford to give the city as a city cheap
hydrants with the water rates they
charge? With the unlawful and I'M
just taxes that they pay? There is no
politics in this matter. When the
lives of our wives and children are at
stake 1 say it is wicked thing for men
to inject as they have injected into
this discussion political considerations.
There are no politics in it, save the fact
that you know it to be true, save the
fact that if you own your own water
works under the name and style of
water district there would be taken out
from the politics of the administration
of our city government the one dis
turbing factor that for the last fifteen
years has made Augusta next to Lewis
ton the worst governed city in the
State of Maine (cheers). am
ashamed to say it. I began life in this
city 81 years ago, I expect to die here.
l have got some friends in this city,
and thank God! I have got some enc
mics of whom I am proud. Now, gen
tlemen, let US throw personal politics
out of it; it isn't question of republi-
cans or Democrats. This isn't a ques-
| ton of who shall be Governor in
| 1904. The State will move on no mat
| ter how you vote. The great political
| caucuses will be held next year, no
matter how you vote; you have got