The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-10-22
WHY THE eREWERlTES DODGE
THE ISSUE.

to buy the waterworlSs when elected
mayor the first time-eight years ago.
Now. such statements arc misleading.
The facts are as follows:
In the year 1901. the Republican
party nominated William Glasmann
, for the Office of mayor, and the Re.
publican platform said, I'VE favor Sc
curing the wateN~orks by condcmna-
J tion." That meant that jury OF Ogden
/ citizens should be called into court 10
hear testimony on the cost Of building
| the system. and that whatever the
| jury fixed as the price. the court would
decree that the waterworks company
should sell at.
Nearly every Democrat and Repub-
! llcan lawyer in Ogden at that time
/ said that tho water system could be
| condemned and bought in that way.
Mr., Glasmann believed the attor.
neys had examined the matter and
that it could be done. and, In speech
In the Opera house, Mr.. Glasmanu
said that ninety days after the con
! demnation proceedings started the
| city should or would own the water
| works, Now that Is the only promise
Mr.. Glasmann ever made He tried
in good faith 10 carry out that plan.
But another promise he made was
to stop the useless and expensive Iti-
CATION over the waterWorks. Up TO
that time 1t was said something like
$4,000 had been expended in water
works litigation. The peoples money
was being Squandered In law suits
When. therefore, Mr. Glasmaun was
elected mayor. he. with the city attor-
ney, looked up the law and became
doubtful about being able to condemn
without an act OF the legislature an.
thorlzing cities to condemn water
works Under the old law the cities
were authorized TO condemn water.
works, bur when the Utah State laws
were revised the right TO condemn
was omitted.
The present laws authorize cities to
condemn water and water rights. but
not existing waterworks But to be
sure about the matter the city coun-
ell. at the request of the mayor, asked
for a written opinion from the follow.
Ing attorneys; T, D. Johnson, A. w
Agee. ]. D. Murphy and George Nc
Cormick. and every one of them, for
merly of the opinion that the city
could condemn the waterworks, stated
that under the then existing state
law the city had no right TO condemn
an existing waterworks system used
for the same purpose the city intended
to use the system.
The decision of the supreme court
OF the United States plainly said tho
authority from the state legislature
must be direct and specific, and that
no general right TO condemn under
the rights OF the law OF eminent do, |
main would be sufficient
Therefore Mayor Glasmann. instead
OF plunging the city into a suit that |
would go 10 the supreme court of the |
United States and cost The city thou
sands of dollars. only 10 lose, paid 5000 |
for attorneys fees and received Demo.
cratic and Republican opinions that I
the waterworks could not be con-
demned under the Utah laws.
Mr. Glasmann then appeared be-
fore the next session Of the Utah legIs.
laturc, and he was able to have bin
passed in the lowor house to permit
ogden to condemn the water system
but In the state senate the bill was
defeated on tie vote, one of the own.
crs of the waterworks. then a member
OF the state senate, defeating the bill
II will be seen whatever promise
Mr.. Glasmann made. was made after
every Democratic and Re
publican attorney had advised him
1t could be done and was only prevent
ed from realization because the state
laws forbid
If Mr. Glasmann promised to con.
denim. he did everything that could be
done 10 keep the promise,
President Taft was in Arizona and
New Mexico last week and promised
10 get statehood for those territories.
and he was answered that the same
promise had been made before and
failed of fulnllment, and the President
replied.
We'll, OF course man cannot do
any more than promise and then try
to carry 1t out do think that
you may have had in times past rea.
son to complain because of promises
made that were not fulfilled. | don't
know am not sufficiently versed In
the history. and therefore perhaps you
have right to distrust me; but here
tofore ! have tried to tell the truth,
tried to carry out such promises as
have made"
Hero Is the whole thing in nut