Imperial Valley press., 1910-01-01
BIackintOn and Pearson attempt to Hold Up City for Selfish
 and Sinister Purposes.
FIimsy Pretenses For Refusal to Pass Resolution of Intention to Call Water Bond Election After Engaging Engi- neer to Make Report and Accepting His Estimates.

It requires a two-thirds vote of the board of city trustees to pass res olution of intention to call an cleo tion on the question of issuing bonds for the construction of a municipal water system. Two trustees can block the very first step toward pro- viding the inhabitants of the city with an adequate supply of water. Trus- tees Blackinton and Pearson did block that first step last Tuesday night. Both of them had voted for the res olution a week previously, passing it to a second reading, and Blackinton had voted to accept the report of En- gineer Sonderegger and to employ him to plan the system. Both had accept ed the estimate of $69,000 as sufficient after thorough discussion of the fig ures with the engineer and the ad- visory committee.
 In the meantime M. w. Conkling, former attorney for the city and as- sociate of Blackinton and Pearson in the illicit liquor traffic, had returned to town and Blackinton had been in consultation with him all day before the meeting. Blackinton has been ludicrously subservient to the dis carded lawyer politician ever since his appointment to fill vacancy in the board of trustees, and has jumped whenever Conkling pulled the string. It was expected that Blackinton would be stupid enough to do what Conk- ling should tell him to do, and it was reported that he and Pearson had boasted that they would block the water bonds that night.
 Blackinton's chief concern in the water works has been to get a large main laid beyond the occupied part of the city to tract of vacant land owned by himself in order that it's selling value may be enhanced, and he made that sordidly selfish consid- eration his palpably disingenuous ex- cuse for refusing to take the first le- gal step toward acquisition of public water supply.
 This is the resolution that Black inton and Pearson voted against:
 RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees of the City of Fl Centro, that the said Board of Trustees do hereby determine that the public interest and public ne- cessity of said City of El Centro and the inhabitants thereof demand the ac- quisition construction and completion by the City of El Centre of certain rev. enue producing municipal improvement namely: municipal water works and wat CT system for the purpose of furnishing and supplying water to the City of Fl '. Centro and the inhabitants thereof in cluding for such purpose the acquisi- tion of lands, water rights, capital stock in other corporations, rights of way, and the present water plant and system, and the construction of acqueducts, ditches, canals, reservoirs, distributing system, pumping and purification plants and oth- CT works necessary therefor; that the said municipal improvements are necessary and convenient to carry out the objects, purposes and powers of said municipality, and 1t is the intention of said Board of Trustees of the said City of Fl Centro to have said water works and munich pal improvements connected herewith acquired, constructed and completed and that the cost of said water works, water rights and municipal improvements con nected herewith and before mentioned is and will be too great to be paid out of the ordinary annual income and revenue of said city; That the estimated cost of said water works and municipal improve ments connected -therewith is sixty-nine thousand dollars and that said cost is and will be too great to be paid out of the ordinary income and revenue of said city.
 Trustee Brown moved the adoption of the resolution. Blackinton made a sour grlmace, hemmed and broke out: q suppose the advisory board has looked into the matter What plan are we adopting anyway"
 Brown-"We are not adopting plans. We are adopting resolution"
 lackinton-"Well, don't feel like voting on this until know more about it." Gle had voted for 1t week be- fore and knew all about it.)
 City Atty Smith-"This resolution is jurisdictional. It gives you the right to start in on water project, It is necessary legal step, and 1t