The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1904-05-18

and drainage bonds on the 2Sth inst,
and now, in order to get the matter
officially before them, it presents the
views of Mayor Fechter, prepared at the
request of this newspaper. Before pc
rusing the communication, however. The
Herald wishes the reader to understand
that registration is not required to vote
at the special election, as enormously
stated by the Republic last Saturday.
The Herald's authority for this state
ment is City Attorney Gull. Mayor
Fechter's communication is given below:
1t should be impressed on the voters
of this city that vote cast in favor of
the bond issue at the special election to
be held on the 2Sth inst. is the express
sion of the voter, not only in favor of
providing a sewer system for the entire
city, but for underground drainage
planned to relieve the congestion of
stagnant water beneath the surface of the
area in which the sewer pipes are laid
by means of drain tiles, laid in the same
trenches as the sewer pipes are laid,
and which are connected with the trunk
lines of the sewer system at regular in
tervals, discharging their accumulations
of water drained from the soil into
them.
This city lies in basin. The water
that is used for the irrigation of the high
er levels, to say nothing of the immense
volume of water that is used in irriga-
ting our lawns and gardens, has filled
the porous soil on which our town is
built to such an extent that the under
ground channels are not large enough
to cary it off, and it remains stagnating
in the soil, filling many cellars, creating
marshy condition in places and sour
ing the soil generally, rendering the eme-
nations from it of a character that are
deleterious to health, to say the least.
1t is a noteworthy fact that there is
no epidemic of fever here at any time
except during the height of the irriga-
ton season. In Midsummer and for
sufficient period thereafter to admit of
the soil being relieved of its surplus
water, namely from about the first of
July to the first of November of each
year, this condition is common to otner
irrigated sections as well as this and has
been overcome in those sections in a
similar manner that we now propose to
overcome it. Let the doctors call it
what they will, the fact remains that
this fever is epidemic only during GER
tain period of the year, and is common
to irrigated sections situated as is our
city, and has been entirely overcome by
drainage. Typhoid fever RACES at all
the times of the year, is Just as malig-
nant in winter as it is in summer and
is usually due to local conditions that
are as prevalent in the majority of the
cities of this state as they are here,
and in many in a larger degree.
That we have had some typhoid fever,
no one will deny. That it has all been
of this character or that more than a
few of the cases have been typhoid, is,
to say the least, improbable. We have
condition mere that is not peculiar.
but that is usual wherever large areas
of land are filled with water that be-
| comes stagnant. The remedy for this
is drainage; it is no experiment; this
is not a new theory; it is applied COM
mon sense; it is knowledge within the
experience or observation of all, young
| and old; it has been tried over and over
again and in the nature of things it can.
not fail. And, further than that, it is
the only way in which the existing state
of affairs can be remedied.
Only one objection to the proposed
plan has or will be raised. That is the
large cost of the proposed improvements
and the method adopted of meeting the
OUTLAWS. That objection is worthy of
the serious consideration of every voter.
When the public health is concerned.
however, we can no more stop to consid-
er the cost than we could stop to con-
slider the cost of medical attention if a
member of our immediate family is sud.
denly taken violently i'll. The remedy
must be applied at whatever cost. The
city council has adopted the only meth
Cd by which the systems can be built.
The state laws limit the amount of ex-
Penditure for such purposes to ten per
cent of the assessed vauation of the
property of the city. Taking into ac-
count our present Indebtedness. and the
assessed valuation of the property of
this city, tsl,7OO,OOO) we can only raise
by bonded indebtedness approximately
the sum of sixty thousand dollars. This
will build the trunk lines so as to pro-
vide drainage and an outlet for the sew
erage for every part of this city, and
these trunk lines, with their tile connec-
n.