The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-26
ARE INDIGNANT.
People Surprised at Action of
City Council.
No Excuse for Violation of Their
Instructions.
ACTION WAS HASTY.
President Mills of Commercial
Club Talks.
Ex-MayOrs of Topeka Discuss
City Ownership.
ACTION WAS HASTY.

There is a great deal of indignation
in Topeka today over the high handed
action of a majority of the members of
the city council last night.
The citizens are being rapidly con-
verified to the opinion that there is a
conspiracy with the primary purpose of
preventing the city from acquiring the
water supply system by any means and
secondarily to turn over a valuable
franchise to private individuals to en-
able them to make a good thing out of
it.
The men who have served as mayors
of the city, who understand the situa-
ton thoroughly, are nonplussed. They
helpsd in their official life to fight the
battles of municipal ownership of the
water plant and are now confronted
with the fact that a city council has
fatty refused to carry out the instruc-
tons of the people.
Mr.. Fellows Firm Stand.
Charles A. Fellows, ex-mayor, said
when asked about his attitude on the
action of the council:
"Of course 1 think the city ought to
buy the plant. Hasn't this question
been threshed over enough? The peo-
pie have voted to buy the plant and
that ought to settle it,
Topeka has gone through this Strug
gle over municipal ownership and it
has been decided by the people on two
occasions and do not understand what
the councilmen mean. AS I understand
it the second vote on the waterworks
was a direct instruction to buy the
plant for $500, 900.
The idea of municipal ownership is
growing. Nearly all the large cities
own their waterworks and others are
getting them as fast as they can. The
people no longer believe that their wa
ter supply should be in the control of
corporations for If there is any one
thing that should be made accessible
for every one, that should be furnished
at cost. it is water. No one should
make any money out of supplying the
people with water and therefore the
only sensible way to manage water
works is for the people themselves to
own them.
81 think I know what the sentiment
of the people of Topeka is and know
ing this 1 do not hesitate to say that
the council should close the deal for
the plant without delay"
Father of City Ownership Talks.
Charles J. Drew, mayor of Topeka
from 1899 to 1901, and who, while
member of the city council introduced
the first resolution providing for city
ownership of the waterworks, said to-
day:
ct don't want to appear to be crit
icising the city councilmen, because I
was one of them myself once, but l
want to say that If I was a member
to carry out the will of the Topeka
voters, and buy the waterworks for
$4,000. The question is no longer
whether the price is too high; the peo-
business is to go ahead and consum-
mate the deal as the people directed
when / was q member of the
council. City Engineer Barnes made a
careful estimate on the cost of build
ing a system here in Topeka. 1t was
about $460,O0O, and I went over it
carefully and came to the conclusion
that it would cover the expense. Then
introduced a resolution providing for
the special election which was held
and the bonds voted to build the plant
This fell through because of legal diff
ficulties. Now the city has voted to
That may seem high, but a property
OF that kind is worth what it will
bring.
MY idea is that the city council has
no way out except to buy the plant.
If any of them were able to suggest
any solution of the difficulty as an
alternative, it would be different. But
no one has proposed solution. This
amount to anything, in my opinion"
What Confronts the Council.
Ex-Mayor Albert Parker the mayor
who conducted the negotiations which
led up to the compromise with the
water company and the agreement
upon 100000 as the price, and who
called the last bond election, said to-
day:
1.-THE city council may thrash around
much as it pleases and pass resolu-
tions about new plants, but it will find
that eventually it will have to do one
of two things; either buy this plant for
100000, or renew the present fran
chise of the water company. There
are just these two things open, and the
council will certainly find it out L
I'll I.
that will be the ultimate solution. 1t
is a fair and square bargain, and the
council ought to have sense enough to
go ahead and carry it out. If Presi-
that plant for 100000. he could com
pei the city to carry out its contract"
IF the council should go ahead with
it's scheme to build a new plant, and
legislature, and all that, I do not be-
lieve the people of Topeka would vote
the bonds. 1t would be beaten by a
vote of two to one. Then I suppose
vote showed Topeka to be opposed to
city ownership, and would go ahead
and give somebody a franchise
BerglIudthal Says 1t Was Hasty.
Mayor Bergundthal is, of course,
heartily in favor of city ownership,
1.-The action of the council last night
was hasty, to say the least. 1t rather
looks to me as though these eight
couRcilmen had acted in extreme bad
faith with the Commercial club. The
Commercial club postponed taking ac-
ton at their request so that the mat
ter of city ownership might be further
considered and an agreement reached
between the two factions of the coun-
Gil. The eight members of the coun-
Gil who oppose city ownership took
advantage of this and passed this res
olution in the hope of tying the thing
up so that there could be no retreat
Somebody ought to mandamus the
council to carry out the contract. /
believe such 4 proceeding would lie
Devlin Doesn't Understand.
DayIio said bavo nor