Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-01-02
AT LAST.

be determined upon as to what the ex-
pense will be to give our people pure
water supply. The Herald is the only
paper, of which the PILOT knows, in the
city that advocates a plan that may
prove so detrimental to the city's well
fare. The Herald says:
The PILOT appears to be greatly agi-
tated over the city hall question, which
it has been trying valiantly, though
rather clumsily, to sandbag from be-
hind the W, terworks question"
The Pilot is certainly in favor of side
tracking the city hall; also street inn
provements also the building of new
schoolhouses or the making of any 9TH
er extensive municipal improvements,
until such time as can definitely be de-
termined what shall be done with our
water works. Pure water, above every
thing else, should be given the citizens
Of Wausau. They have waited patient
ly for it; they have, and are, spending
their good money for spring waters I'M
til the burden has become unbearable;
they have attended illustrated, scienti
fic lectures. which showed the repulsive
vegetable growth which is filing up the
mains, and said to themselves, "well,
something will surely be done soon"
Now, when the people rise up, almost
to a man, demanding that something be
done with the water works, they are to
be given another city hall. What can the
water commissioners do without plenty
of funds back of them What good will
$4,000 or $50, 900 do them From the
present outlook it will be but drop.
They might as we'll leave the water
works as they are. to soon become use
less, rather than to try to do anything
with that amount of money. The men
whocompose the board of water commits
soners are made up of different mater
ial than is generally believed, if they
are not allowed to give the people what
they want and to do this, a city hall,
nor any other obstruction, in the way
of Improvements, should not be placed
in their way.
The Herald further says:
''This paper has not deemed it nee
essary to ring in the new city hall in
discussing the water question, as there
is no occasion for it; except on the part
of a few who for selfish reasons may
approve the location of it."
It is real nice of the Herald to infer
that the PILOT editor favors the loca-
ton at the foot of Third street. For
selfish motives? Well, not on your life
The Herald is also wrong in its conclu
sions in that, because the Pilot does
favor that location, therefore it is
against the building of the city hall
There are few who say that the PLOT
is against the building of another city
hall at this time, because its editor
does not favor the location. This is
false. Long before the site was actually
chosen, the PLoT called attention to it
as the proper place for the city hall.
The fact is that for 81 years the home
of We editor was on that block, and his
reverence for that particular spot would
lead him to favor it in preference to any
other site. 1t has its advantages in that
it faces the principal street of the city,
and is easily reached from the business
center. But that site will not run away
1t will be there when the time is ripe
for building another city hall.
The Herald further says:
"The council has made provision for
the new city TALL and already S25, 1000
has been raised for that purpose OF
the 900 apprOl ration made by the
council the other Si5, 900 is to be raised
with the tax of 1906 The PILOT may
not know, but it should know, that this
fund could not legally be used for the
water works Improvement or any other
purpose than that for which it was Gre
ated"
Yes, $4,000 was transferred from the
general fund, TO be paid when the taxes
of 1905 are collected; 5000 will be
collected next year and $4,000 will be
collected in 1907. OF course we are on
"easy street" now with an additional
bond issue of $35, 900. Why shouldn't
we be? But it will not be such an easy
matter to keep down the taxes in the
future. The PILOT will try to give it's
readers a resume of the financial con-
dition of the city, next week.
The Herald ought to know that it is
no more illegal to borrow money which
has been transferred from the general
furd" and to be raised by taxes for the
city hall, than it was for our city
fathers to religiously, for about fifteen
years, appropriate the $1,000 which
was raised by taxes each year to create
a sinking fund for the payment of the
water bonds, which came due recently
The balance of the time, money has
been borrowed from the sinking fund
to help out other funds which were
short. 1t is no more illegal at this
time, to borrow from the city hall fund
for such laudable purpose as that of Civ
ing the people of our city pure water
supply, than it has been to borrow from
the money raised to pay off the water
bonds. This sort of reasoning is more
than childish. The Herald further says: