Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-01
WATER DISPUTE
IN ACUTE STAGE
PASADENA COMPROMISE AGAIN
IN DANGER
Mayor Waterhouse Returns From the
East With a Sensational State
ment From Famous Bond
Experts
Pasadena Agency.
II North Raymond Avenue.
Telephone Main J1f1.


PASADENA, March 31.-There were
two important happenings today in the
campaign for municipal ownership of
water. The first was the giving out of
Judge Henry I. Lees opinion as to the
legal phase of the city's negotiations UP
to the present time. This opinion in
every essential detail supports the con-
tentions of the board of trade and lts
legal advisers and disagrees with CITY
Attorney Fitzgerald. Judge Lee asserts
that in his opinion the proceedings
leading up to the issuing of the water
bonds were all strictly legal; that the
fact that the companies whose proper
ty is sought to be purchased are serv-
ing people outside the city was known
at the time the bonds were authorized
by public vote and does not prevent
the contemplated purchase; that South
Pasadena cannot be deprived of It's
legal right in the water now being fur
nished it's citizens, and that decision
of the supreme court on these mat
ters when secured would be found to
sustain the city of Pasadena.
Judge Lee states that he was Grip
pied somewhat by the refusal of CITY
Attorney Fitzgerald to allow him ac-
cess to the latest communications from
Dillon & Hubbard upon the subject OF
the. legality of the bond issue.
Opponents of the city administration
were quite jubilant at the findings
of Judge Lee and seemed to believe
that this opinion and the recent judg-
ment of Judge Monroe in the Graham
suit which was in effect exactly the
same, would have undoubted weight
with the mayor and his advisers. But
the mayor, who returned yesterday
from a trip east on private business as
- hn1
sleeve and at convenient meeting OF
the CITY council late this afternoon
promptly and spectacularly played II:
1T was given out that his honor had
been no further east than Chicago.
The announcement was made TINS az
ternoon that New York was the real
objective point and that the trip was
made for the purpose of seeing the bona
experts, Dillon & Hubbard, in person.
Mayor Waterhouse had read to the
council a typewriter communication
from the New York firm which refers
to the conference with the mayor ana
a. correspondence with the city attor-
ney as grounds for declaration that
under the circumstances they would
not be willing to approve the whole is
sue of bonds" and that 1.-The proposed
purchase is at an end unless you make
a new contract with the companies ana
submit that contract to the vote of the
people or unless you proceed TO con-
denim the property"
The announcement of the mayors
action did not seem to delight the CITY
council and there were several rather
heated suggestions that the represen-
tations made by the mayor to Dill
lon & Hubbard should have been III
writing so that the council could know
what they really were. But the mayor
and his friends held the winning. hand
for the nonce and are rather gleetul
over the surprise sprung by the letter
from the bond experts.
Those who have been fighting for the
immediate purchase of the local prop
critics of the water companies are
greatly indignant tonight over the ac-
ton of the mayor and his city attcr-
ney and freely characterize it as an
unfair trick. They contend that if the
matter of the bonds legality was to
be laid before the bond experts 1t
should not have been done in one
sided manner. but openly with 1alr op-
portunity for both sides to submit
briefs AS the matter stands now the
dispute between the mayor and his
friends on the one hand and the board
of trade committee and its supporters
on the other hand has at one bound
again become acute. The promised
friendly settlement of the fight seems
now TO De as 1ar OIL as ever
Shakespeare Club
Philanthopic public work of the
most practical kind was discussed at
this afternoons meeting of the Shakes
peare club, which was attended by
an unusually large number of men.
The program was in charge OF the
members of the industrial committee
of the club, and Judge Curtis d. Will
bur was the speaker of the afternoon.
His subject was 1.-THE Boy and the
Law" and his talk dealt largely with
the work and results of the juvenile
court, which department of justice is
his particular province.
Judge Wilbur was well introduced
by Mrs. Calvin Hartwell, who had
charge of the program. In opening
his frank and direct speech, Judge
Wilbur took occasion to say that he
had found in the reception room of the
Shakespeare club the motto for which
he had long been looking for his court
room; the motto of the club which
is carved over the great fireplace in
the reception room, Gently to hear;
kindly to Judge" This he believed eX-
pressed the vital meaning and aim of
the juvenile court much better and
nearer than anything he had ever
found. Then in a most earnest way,
frequently interrupted by stories which
carried their own deep truths, the
humor, the pathos, the tragedy, the
strength of the juvenile court was
told to the large audience. Letters
from real boys, one n Pasadena boy,
sent TO the judge in answer to his