Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-11
WATER QUESTION
STILL FOREMOST
PASADENA COUNCIL SEEKS TO
BEGIN ANEW
Board Of Trade Leads Opposition to
the Administrator Tactics.
Bitter Attack on City
Attorney
Pasadena Agency,
81 North Raymond Avenue
Telephone. Main 1908.

Telephone. Main ltOS'
PASADENA. Jan. 1O.-"Resolved,
That any and all offers for the pur-
chase of any and all rights belonging
to the Pasadena Land and Water COM
pany and the Pasadena Lake Vineyard
Land and Water company be with
drawn and held for naught, and all
offers for the sale of these properties
by the city of Pasadena are heeeby re-
jected; resolved, that the mayor be
directed to appoint a committee which
shall devise some plan for the pur-
chase of these water properties and
such other as may be deemed desirable
in legal manner"
Around this resolution the city coun-
Gil, the mayor, the city attorney and
great lobby of interested citizens spent
several hours of heated and frequently
virulent discussion. Early in the even
ing City Attorney Fitzgerald took UP
the cudgels for the city administration
and gave the reasons for the present
delay in acquiring the plants. These
have been in substance already made
public and rely chiefly upon the con-
tention that in the late bond election
the administration was directed to pur-
chase all of the properties of the two
companies OF none. JuuSe fllHBeIdlu
asserted that Pasadena cannot buy the
water right of South Pasadena and
therefore cannot complete the deal. He
also reviewed the Graham case against
the Pasadena Land and Water COM
pany and stated that in his opinion this
case must be finally disposed Of before
any further steps can be taken.
The remarks of the city attorney were
frequently interrupted and much acr
mony was shown by the speaker. At
11:30 the wordy duel was still in prog
ress.
Board of Trade Resolves
The exigencies of the situation SEEM
ing to demand the immediate express
sion of opinion from the larger body.
President Linnard this afternoon called
a meeting of the board of trade mem
bership. The notice was posted about
the streets and at o'clock fully 100
members crowded into the little as
Eembly room of the society. President
Linnard stated that it was understood
that the city council contemplated an
nulling all of the previous proceedings
In the water project and that the
meeting had been called for the pur-
pose of getting an expression of the
members as to the expected action of
the peoples representatives.
Then followed a regular whirlwind
of speeches in which the city admins
tration was bitterly criticised for the
oelay in acquiring the water proper
ties and for the high-handed manner
of yesterdays alleged investigation,
Among those who took vigorous part
in the discussion were President Lin
nard, Vice President Bertonneau, Sec
retary Coolidge, Attorney w. S.
Wright, Justice Klamroth. H. E. Gohe-
gan, H. G. Hotaling, e. H. Lockwood,
3. O. Kendall, C. D. Daggett, Lon F.
Chaplin and several others.
Councilman Crandall and Mayor
Waterhouse were also present and
took opportunity to reply to certain of
the remarks which were directed at
them.
Asks Mayor for Statement
Attorney Wright appealed to the
mayor for a simple statement of his
reason for hesitating to go forward in
the purchase of the plants, saying
1--WE are all your friends and our only
purpose is to help you in carrying out
the will of the people to which you
agreed before your election; you have
made a good official, but we fear that
you are about to make a serious mis-
take; tell us about it and we will coun-
sci with you carefully and conscien-
tiously."
The mayor refused to take the meet
ing into his confidence in any way.
Councilman Crandall, on the other
hand, briskly defended the councils
action in forcing the attendance and
testimony of the gentlemen in yester-
days investigation, saying that the
council merely desired to get public
expression of various views on the
water question. The discussion took
so sharp a turn in a few moments
that Mr. Crandall subsidized and re-
fused to be drawn into the contest
any further
Mr.. Daggett. for many years presi-
dent of the cSty's board of trade, voiced
the general opinion of those present
when he characterized the attempt Ia
annul all the proceedings in the ten
years campaign for municipal owner
ship of water as "the most outrageous
and appalling he had ever known"
Mr.. Daggett continued by saying that
"by some hypnotic influence both
mayor and council have been set adrift
and have allowed themselves to be-
come lukewarm in carrying out their
promises"
Score City Attorney
Most of those who spoke referred
hotly to City Attorney Fitzgerald as
the actual source of the present diff
Guilty and chided the mayor for call
ing to so responsible a position at this
time a man who was known to be
opposed body and soul to carrying out
the peoples demand to buy the water
plants.
The Pasadena board Of trade has \
membership of some 600 business and
professional men, and the fact that SO
many responded to the posted call for
today's meeting, and that every man
appeared energetically in sympathy
with the work of agitation the boards
special water committee has been di-
recting, is a source of considerable
qualification to the officers of the
board. pefore adjourning the meeting
adopted with roar of approval a
resolution for submission to the spe-
cial council meeting to be held later
IN the evening condemning in vigorous
fashion any movement to wipe out all
previous water legislation and calling