The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-18
HAVE HOT TIME
ON WATER BILL
Commercial Club Activity De-
nounced as From Bad Motive.
c0UNcILMEN MEET SENATORS
ROW BETWEEN BAMBERGER
AND PRESIDENT CoTTRELL.

That the Commercial club is little
better than band of would be water
thieves was intimated to state senators
yesterday by a city official and mem
bers of the city council. That council
| men are so sensitive that nothing can
| be agitated in the city without their
imagining their honor is being called in
question was told to the senators on
behalf of the club. That Senator BAN
| berger dOesn'p propose to be dictated to
by the city council or by anybody else
also was entered on record. All this
happened at a meeting of the senate
committee on county and municipal
corporations yesterday for the consid-
Grafton of the water commission BILL
Councilman Fernstrom was the first
speaker before the committee, and he
denounced the bill as a thoroughly i'm
practicable Commercial club product.
1t is in reality slap at the city
council" said he. for it does not re-
quire the confirmation by the council
| OF the mayors appointments on the
| provisional water commission that is to
be named pending the election of a
| board"
Let us not discuss these side issues:
]
| tor Bamberger when the councilman
! had wandered some distance away
| from the measure itself
! If the committee please. Judge Pow
/ ers was heard without interruption in
support of the bill yesterday declared
| President CottreI of the council, leap
/ ing TO his feet, land I think the same
| courtesy should be extended to the
| councilmen who are appearing to dis
| cuss the other side"
Rises in Mighty Wrath.
And it suits me to object to taking
up the time of the committee with mat
/ ters that have nothing to do with the
| point at ISSUE" retorted Senator Bam-
! berger. flushed with anger. Il don't
/ propose to be dictated to by the city
| council or by anybody else as to what
1 shall say or do as member of this
/ committee, continued the irate solon,
and thumped the table with his pudgy
| fist by way of emphasis.
Councilman Fernstrom went ahead.
with the proviso that the apology was
mot to apply if he hadn't done anything
worth apologizing for.
This bill is the child of the Com
mercial club" continued the city ia
| Their. unabashed, land the Commercial
club doesn't understand the question
| and knows nothing about II. Its meth
DDS are superficial and ill-advised."
City Auditor Reiser rose to oppose
the bill and soon succeeded in demon
strating to the committee that what
had passed before was a mere squall
as compared with the tempest he was
about to unleash.
Water Users in Club.
"Of whom is the Commercial club
I, compOsed?" demanded he "Of mer-
chants. laundry proprietors. men of
means-all large users of water"
I'm a member of the club, and
don't remember having seen any water
drunk there innocently commented
Senator Love. but the remark made no
impression on the city official.
"The ordinary citizen is barred from
membership by the size of the admis-
sion fee," continued Mr.. Reiser- This
bill is practically framed to suit the
interests of the large water users. and
the result will be that they viii have a
big advantage over the ordinary citi-
zens.
.The city council is close to the PEG
pie. 1t is always trying to please the
voters, and it keeps down water rates
for the small consumers with that puf-
pose in view. Should this bill pass, the
large consumers would be benefited,
and that is why the members of the
Commercial club are so keenly inter-
ested in it. 1t means profit TO them.
the reduction of their water bills, and
the piling up Of expense upon the COM
mon. ordinary hone-owner."
We'll, tell US about IL. demanded
Bamberger.
why the representatives of the club
had the audacity to tell this committee
the names of two men who probably
would be selected as water commits
sioners-both wealthy men. men who
are not in touch with the common
peopIe. men who are close in touch
r.~sf Of -
club and would be in sympathy with
their interests
"These names were mere types" in
terjected Fisher Harris
Points Out Flaws.
Councilman J. ]. Thomas followed and
won the appreciation of the senators
by directing himself to a discussion of
the separate sections. He declared
himself as in favor Of the general pur-
pose of the measure, but pointed out
flaws which he declared were due to the
ignorance of municipal methods on the
part of Judge Powers, the Trainer of
the measure.
President Cottrell suggested that the
proposed commission be created along
the lines OF the board of local improve
mentS.
Councilman vigus asked why the
broad powers conferred upon the pro-
posed commission to remedy the water
deficiency were not given to the city
council, which then could remedy the
situation.
1.-The city council has come to be such
delicate minded, tender institution
that no one in Salt Lake can talk on
any public proposition but what ii viii
rise up and declare it is being slapped
in the face said Secretary Fisher
Harris in closing the discussion This
bill represents four or five months of
earnest labor on the part of men who
are just as much concerned and just
as patriotic as are the councilmen. We
have got to have water. This bill is
the result of the water agitation. If
we have TO tread upon the toes of the
city council in our endeavor to get
water, we are desolated indeed, but we
must have water