Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1909-12-14
PEOPLES PULPIT
Tho Courier viii Publish Signed
or Unsigned Expressions From
It's Readers Upon Receipt; Name
of Writer Must Be Known to
che Publisher, However. 4 &
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The W aterWorks Question.
Editor Courier.


The w aterWorkS Question.
Editor Courier:
In your issue of December 6 l see
two articles purporting to be, one
from prominent banker and one
from prominent lawyer: Mr. Editor!
do not give much weight to any
article that the author does not think
| enough of to sign his true name to.
that the public might know from what
source the idea came What inspira-
tion would one get from sermon,
no matter how good If there was a
curtain drawn between him and the
| minister, ''or even as small a thing
as one of the present style of ladies'
hats?" How long could you enjoy a
| play if you could not see the actors
| How long would you care to sit and
listen to beautiful song if you could
not see the singer? How can you
| help but feel that the author of an
article is prompted by some selfish mo-
tive when they leave their readers to
guess at who they are? In the case
of the banker and the lawyer, the
| public has guess coming am going
to guess that the banker is right
when he said that the old water works
| plant is worthless. Divest it of the
! franchise which was a gift from the
| good people of the city of Ottumwa,
to what appears to me to be bad
corporation of the City of New York.
and | really do not believe that it has
any value at all.
AS to the municipal ownership,
there may be an honest difference of
| nnininn I -h, hn n,t
cannot own and operate good water
works plant as well as q private COM
pany, but never in any way would
consent to the city purchasing the old
| junk that is now called a waterworlls
at any price. If the city wants to own
waterworks let them put in new
up-to-date plant with sufficient
capacity to furnish the town all the
good water that 1t needs. This know
| would cost some money at this time
but not very much more than it would
cost to buy this old plant even at the
figures offered by the city council, viz:
| $235,O00 with the understanding that
an immediate expense of $3.50, 200
| would be necessary before we could
expect any better service than we
are now getting, and think would
be much cheaper in the end, as the
old plant would be a continual ak
| pense, and it would not be many years
| till the, city would have a million OF
more of dollars invested in it and still
have nothing that they could call q
waterworks plant and during the
whole time have nothing but bad
water and bad service.
If the city can not do this, then lets
| give a liberal franchise to some cont
pany that can and will, binding them
in contract that will compel them to
as they agree to do to the letter. Con.
| tracts can be written between private
parties that will hold them to strict
| performance Of the same, and believe
/ and companies.
i About the only objection that the
| banker found TO municipal ownership
was that the management would have
to change every time that the city adj
ministration changed Not so. The
| fire department does not change with
the city ADMINISTRATION, neither would
it be necessary in this case.
| am decidedly in favor of the form
er plan if the city can possibly finance
tiff not then the latter. But I am
decidedly opposed TO the good people
| of Ottumwa being robbed, or the city
| council having its hands tied, and
being dictated to by any person, com,
pany OF corporation. The present
water company should be made to do
for Ottumwa just what they agreed to
do, or their franchise should be declar-
ed forfeited, and give some one else
a chance. In other words they should
be made TO fish or cut bait.
Now, as to the lawyer. If the city
has legally (Which they no doubt
have) withheld this money, what req
son could any sane man have for CIV
ing ii up to them at this time Mr..
Lawyer says that they might make
the needed improvements. About
$4,000 would go long ways towards
making $2500G0 worth of needed inn
provements. The city should instruct
'the private water takers to withhold
their water rents also, and then in
struct the water company to come
here and make the needed improve
ments. Mr.. Lawyer says that he
favors a more liberal view of the city
council to the water company. | favor
a more liberal and honorable view and
treatment OF the water company to the
city council and citizens of Ottumwa
and il appears TO me that if was the
city council | would demand it.
II does not appear TO me that tho
water company has ever been SINGER
even with the city council. / hay
never believed that they were SINGER
in their efforts to sell at this time. /
looked to me at the time that this tai
started that they had started out to sc
that s14, 900 away from our city dads
and my suspicious are not weakine
any as time goes on. Neither do
believe that the city council think
for one minute that the voters of thi
city would ratify the purchase of IL
old plant at the price they hov'
virtually offered Ottumwa is the homo
Of nearly 10000 proud, patriotic
liberty loving American citizens, wac
do not like to cater to a few gentl
men from the east. Let us rule, not
be ruled; let us govern, not be go
erned; let US dictate, not be dictat'
to- let us give the gentlemen from
the east TO under stand that they mus