New-York tribune., 1905-12-14
R4mAp0 oBsTRUoTIoNIsTs.

Ramapo appears again as dog In the manger.
Years ago it tried TO loot the city treasury aho
failed Now it tries to prevent the CITY iron
getting an imperatively needed water supply
unless the city will pay some exorbltant trlpuIe'
Incidentally II is to be observed that Ramapo
preserves the same characteristics or VagueneSS
and mystery that marked it al its origin. we
ara told that il is q great corporation which
has snent large sums of money in good faith
and has issued millions of dollars OF stock TO
honest investors; and yet the counsel VINO OIL
cially represents it confesses-or processes
that he does not know its presidents S name
does not know who controls it and does not
know how he can find out such details ABOUT
II! precious hole-and-corner concern that'
TO stand in the way Of one OF the most I'D
portant and most necessary public improve
ments ever undertaken by this city!
Lest we forget" it may be well to recall
few facts concerning the Ramapo scheme The
Ramapo company proposed to supply this city
with water. not exceeding 20O.OOO,OO0 gallons
dav for term Of forty years, for $40 mill
ion GALLONS 1t proposed to get the water from
Fsor Creek and elsewhere in the same region
froI which the city now proposes 10 get us
OWL supply The monstrously exorb1tant nat
IRE of this scheme was revealed by the Reports
of the city's expert engineers, VINO esuIhaLeu
that the city could get its water from that
II,
aoueducts at a total cost OF SIT II a million
Gallons or less than one-fourth the price de-
manded by Ramapo and that for SO 40 mill
ion gallons it could get the supply and pro-
vide a sinking fund svhch would pay OF the
total cost of the wos S in forty years Now
the city is moving to go into that region and
get its water for itself at a cost OF from one
fourth to one-third of what Ramapo tried to e1-
tort and Ramapo tries to block the way!
ID hoc haQT1 TVIn
stir up lot of local sentiment" against New
York's invasion of that territory as an outrage
unOn the people up there. To the reflective
mind It will appear an interesting and some
what suggestive fact that such sentiment mas
only now been manifested Years ago when
Ramapo was making surveys and filing maps
| and getting options, and was preparing TO take
| all the available water Of that region for It's
! own selfish gain, there was heard no word OF
! protest On the contrary. we were assured that
| the people were sitting up o. nights in their
eagerness to welcome Ramapo and to surren-
der to it their water rights. Yet now when
| New-York City wants to take the water on
/ more favorable terms to the people than Rama
DO offered there is a wild ululation against
what is apparently regarded as the consum-
mate crime of all the ages. Why? In what
| respect will it be a greater hardship for the
| people to sell their water rights to New-fork
| for NeW-IOrkS own use than 10 sell Chem ~
Ramapo for it to resell to New-York? Has not
q great city as good right to take water for
public needs as a private corporation has to
| take it for private gain?
On the whole, we not prepared to believe
that Ramapo's attempt at obstruction will
prove successful We note that Corporation
Counsel Delany welcomes the opportunity of Il
passage at arms with RamapO. hkening his
meeting with that concern to David's encounter
with Goliath. We sincerely trust. and expect
that the result will be satisfactory as was
that of the Biblical duel. and that David De
Iany will like his prototype. not only down
Goliath Ramapo with well sung stone but
will also cut off its head and make an end OF
the thing forever