Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-11-26
made were adopted by the council
and by the company.
SUGGESTIONS Granted.

and by the company.
Suggestions Granted.
I'VE asked for pressure of fifty
pounds in the higher levels instead of
forty pounds. They agreed to this
and agreed further to give sixty
pounds for fire protection We said
the present rates should be the maxi
mum rates and they agreed to this.
The proposition is before us. Are we
to give up the only chance of securing
water supply from the only source
we have at present? Ii we pass the
franchise / believe the company will
live up to it's terms, in fact l believe
the citizens will see to the terms of
the contract are lived up to. We are
to blame because we have not COM
PEELED the company to live up to it's
contract in the past
John X. Mafon Talks.
John X. Mahon was introduced and
he made short address in place of
John w. Lewis who was barred from
attending by slight illness. Mr..
Mahon stated that he spoke for firm
that has large stock of goods perish
able by fire and that although the
house is opposite the fire station yet
under present conditions the firm
would have practically no protection
should fire break out He stated
that he could speak for nearly every
merchant in the city when he said
vote for the franchise as the only
means of securing an adequate water
supply"
Dr.. A. o. Williams Heard.
The question from a sanitary point
OF view was treated by DR.. A. O. Will
liams. DR.. Williams said in part:
The phase of this question which
was to speak on more particularly re-
ferred to the sanitary conditions
which exist now and what will be the
| result should present conditions con-
tinue. 1t is absolutely necessary
that we secure water at once. Our
entire sewer system needs flushing.
You all know what breeders of germs
the city sewers are and the situation
is more serious perhaps than the peo-
| pie are aware.
We have passed the time when we
can get along without water. We
must have it and at once Now as to
the matter of pure water. We have
never had it, but it is as much the
fault of the citizens as the company
that we have not had it. We have new
er insisted on it. Now let us get wa
ter first then purify it.
IN. Mast Speaks.
l. N. Mast made one of the most ell
oquent talks of the evening in favor of
the passage of the ordinance. He said
in part:
I'VE must concede to our fellow men
every latitude of judgment. | have no
criticism to offer to anyone who takes
position after carefully considering
Ia question and then upholds it. But it
is impossible for me to understand
what line OF reasoning has brought the
opponents OF this ordinance to their
conclusions, and attribute it more to
an impulse rather than to mature de-
liberation.
A Comparison.
Now in ordinary political platforms
presented to us for our consideration
there is always the same principle; all
claiming to provide means to attain the
same end-that is good government.
They present to us a platform and the
choice OF the party who is to run on
that platform. A voter says L like the
platform and like the man. l will
vote for him. don't, like the other
platform and the other man. will
vote against him. Now it seems to
me that a great many men have said,
1 don't like the ordinance and l don't
like the corporation and I will vote
against it. And the question has not
been thoroughly investigated.
But in voting on a platform we
have two propositions. Both sides have
plan to offer. Not SO in this case.
There is nothing to offer on the other
side. There is nothing in sight.
Accustomed to City Water.
Nov for the past twenty-five years
the people have been brought up to de-
pend upon the use of public water.
Now we cannot go back twenty-five
years. 1t cannot be that we are going
back to no water. l don't believe that
any sane man would oppose the ordi-
nance if he knew lat by doing so we
would go back and do without water.
Now if we do not go back what shall
we do? The opposition has nothing to
present to the voters should the fran
chise not be ratified There is not
the slightest chance for the city of OF
tumwa to secure water supply other
than by the ratification of this fran
chise.
Il am glad to say that during all this
recent talk concerning the waterworks
the company has not made threat to
close down. Whatever threats were
made were made long ago. AS has
been said the company has learned
better sense than to attempt to use
this means.
Beginning Of Factories.
Now, the company does not threat
en- to close down. but what do you
think will be the result If the fran
chise is rejected? l happen to know
that between 100000 and $500 900 was
put into the consolidated plant. The
greater part of that was lost and the
city of Ottumwa reaped the benefit of
this by reason of the fact that the in
vestment was made here, and because
that the coming of the waterworks was
the beginning of factories here. Now,
am not defending the old company,
but am simply giving you the facts as /
know them.