Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-04-11
THE WATER BONDS
a Two Sided Discussion at the Doris
Theater Last Night.

theater last night for the discussion OF
the proposition to vote 100000 worth
of bonds for the construction of Il
municipal water works system. 1t was
understood that the meeting would be
in opposition to the bonds, and it was
for that purpose that the house had
been secured and band chartered.
There was though 4 general invitation
to all to be present and present their
views whatever they might be on the
subject.
The meeting was called to order by
C. H. Akers, who moved the election
of General NJ. E. Collins chairman. In
announcing his election Mr.. Akers. con-
fused by a similarity of military titles,
referred to him as General Sherman
Attention was called to the error by
Captain j. L. B. Alexander.
General Collins spoke briefly against
the bond proposition, which was now
Of all times inopportune. There We're
other measures pending and especially
the matter of a storage reservoir ami
transcontinental railway projects which
promised much for the city The load
ing of an additional bonded Indebted
ness on the city at this time, he be-
lieved, would greatly interfere with the
city's growth and prevent many inves-
tors who would otherwise avail them
selves of the opportunities now afford
ed them.
He characterized the proposition TO
erect municipal works now as an effort
at Reputation. for which the territory
already had a reputation that was hard
enough to live down. The purpose OF
the bond promoters the general would
not say would be Reputation in law,
but it would certainly not be an act OF
good faith in the dealing of the city
with the Phoenix Water Works COM
pany. He said that there was moral
obligation on the city to prevent the
impairment of the value of the COM
pany's holding. an obligation that was
we'll understood at the time of the
granting of the Gardiner franchise,
and that without which understanding
it would have been unlikely that at that
unpromising time the construction Of
a water works system under that fran
chise would have been begun. 1t could
not have been contemplated then that
the city would ever engage in the water
General Collins was followed by Col
onel McCord, who said that he hal
been an advocate of municipal owner
ship and voted and worked for bond
proposition three years ago. He would
perhaps have favored the present pro-
position, but it failed to provide for the
important Improvement of a sewerage.
He also attacked the estimate made by
the committee of the cost of a munich
pal system and of the profits the city
would derive from it. He did not be-
lievc the time was ripe for the under
taking of a municipal system now.
There was no doubt a time in the his
tory of every city when it should own
its own public utilities, but that time
had not, in the opinion of the speaker,
been arrived al in Phoenix.
The principal address of the evening
against the bonds was delivered by
Judge Mccormick. He declared him
self at the outset to be an advocate
of the public ownership of public utilt-
| ties, under proper conditions" There
were he said, variety of proper COR
ditions favorable for the undertaking
| of any enterprise and in the absence OF
ably be undertaken. Marriage, the
| speaker said, was a worthy enterprise
| but he could easily see one condition
under which only disaster would follow
the undertaking. If. for instance, {
man were already married. it would be
! highly improper for him to be married
again. That was the condition, he
said, in which the city found itself
| now in the matter of water works. Els
spoke at considerable length of tht
legal aspect of the case, and pointed
out that in the voting of the bonds the
people would at the same time vote eX
pensive litigation. The figures pre-.
scented by the committee were mac
curate and misleading, and he madv
| corrections showing that such a system
as it was proposed to put in would-co
30 per cent more than the estimate. HI
also assailed the figures regarding the
profits.
At the conclusion of Judge McCor
micks address Chairman Collins an
nounced that the programme had bee!
carried out and that it was time fo-
the audience to go home. At this juno
ture the voice of Captain AleXandei
was heard calling for Mr.. Adams, VIII
by a coincidence was present armed
with an array of statistics. Mr.. Adams
took the stage in some confusion, anf
the audience reseated itself. Mr.. Adams
said he had understood that the meet
ing had been called for a public an;
open discussion of this uppermos
theme in which all might take part
He said that the matter had been Yer,
imperfectly discussed by the waite
works people and their newspapers
that their handling of the subject has
| consisted largely of misstatements an
personal abuse. He called attention t
the work of the committee in the pre-
paration of the estimates in whicl
they were assisted by competent err
gineers who were much more likely t
know what they were talking abou
than lawyers. He showed by the re
port of the superintendent of the com
pany in 1896 that the estimate of tn
committee as to the cost of the run
ming of the plant and the profits to b
! f,oy,, II bod bear bor,a out IT