The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-08
1T IS OURS.
Continued from First Page.)

81 am ready to move a reconsidera-
ton" said Councilman Holiday. The
reconsideration carried with a whoop,
and then Councilman Hughes moved
to lay the former resolution refusing
to buy the plant on the table. Coun-
Gilman Rice seconded this motion. 1t
carried. .-
Councilman Holiday said: 1.-THE
gentlemen who opposed the purchase
of the waterworks on the ground that
it is an old junk pile, are still of the
opinion that it is an old junk pile. We
made our investigations however, and
we always ran into some hole from
which there was no escape except to
buy the plant. At this time in the
history of Topeka it is no time to be
at loggerheads with each other; we
want to keep pushing our town ahead.
1t may take ten years for us to get
even on this waterworks deal. In ten
years we will have $150,000 if we save
our hydrant rentals; in twenty years
we ought to be way to the good, and
have a good plant besides. On behalf
of the gentlemen who have opposed
this purchase, 1 want to say that we
want to do all we can for the best
interests of the city
Councilman Hughes asked for
rollcall on the final vote, so that it
councilman was in favor of the reso-
luton.
1T might be useful sometime" he
said.
MOST OF the cOunc1tnen WHO uldQC
the hard fight against the purchase
of the plant have come to realize their
mistake, and have for the past week
been looking for good chance to
of them glad to get back on the pop
ular side, which they really never in
tended to leave.
Councilman Holiday said: we
consulted Mcfarland, Spencer, Hurd,
Oyermyer, and some of the council
men consulted their own lawyers, and
these lawyers all told us that the COM
pany had no franchise; that the city
could beat them in a fight. But when
it came right down to advising US not
to buy the plant, they wouldn't. They
said it was a business proposition;
that if we didn't buy, we would be
that a quo warranto suit would not
help us much, because it would give
US a writ of custer which we didn't
want If we had gone to the legiSla-
ture, it would have taken a long time
to get a law passed and bonds voted,
and then just as soon as we were
ready to begin work the water COM
pany would have come at us with an
and we would have been
all off again. We were in a hole, and
there was no way to get out but to
buy the plant
Councilman Ryder: 81 don't ap-
prove of this purchase, 1 can tell you
that 1 wanted to bring in a minority
report, but they persuaded me not to-
Councilman HugheS- Ever since
that day that the State Journal had
its interview with me aoour the fig
ures shown in O'NeilIs report I have
been doing some hard thinking, and
must say have learned some things. |
am satisfied that we are doing the
best we could
Councilman Green: Ct am greatly |
pleased at the way things turned out. |
/ did not have the slightest intima- |
ton of what was coming until Holli- |
day read his resolution tonight. am
glad we are all together again on this
proposition. Now we must go ahead |
carefully with the other details"
Mayor BergundthaI said: 1T has
all come out right, and 1 feel con-
fdent that Topeka will never regret |
its action in buying the plant, pro-
vided it adopts the proper methods OF
and administration