The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-04-28
Editor Daily Tribune

Editor Daily Tribune
Your Saturday evenings issue,
in its report OF the citizens meet
ing of Friday night, mentions me
as the leader of the opposition
movement against the proposed
action of the Common Council
in regard to our City Water
Works, intimates that | deserted
my associates in the undertaking,
and goes on to state that council
man Clizbe took the platform and
convinced every one present that
white was black and black white,
and that there was really no
ground for complaint or fear and
that everything was altogether
lovely and the goose hung high.
am not entitled to all the
credit OF originating the citizens
meeting. Long before the meeting
was thought of, or called. numer.
Gus taxpayers and consumers of
water had spoken to me on the
subject and emphatically made
known their opposition to the
proposed changes and methods.
Believing as | did, and do, that
the proposed action OF the coun-
Gil is radically wrong and that
when it has been accomplished
that it will provoke a storm OF
wrath and criticism on the part
of those directly interested, and
that many of these would be
around, as is usual in such cases,
trying to get lawyers to do inn
possible things when it is too
late, / advised taking time by the
forelock and the bull in the china
shop by the horns right now.
In regard to my absence from
the meeting, | may say that
was at Rochester trying a case
that had been set down for trial
weeks before the meeting was
called and as the case was delay
ed a day longer than | had calcu-
lated on account OF the CdSs pre-
ceding mine running over day
into our time, it was absolutely
in1yoss bic for me 10 attend The
meeting
When | found that | could not
attend, | wrote letter to Mr.. l..
NJ. Lauer, who | supposed might
be chairman of the meeting, tell
ing him IN substance that | was
unalterably opposed to the action
and proposed action OF the Coun-
Gil and that they could count me
TO assist in every way in fighting
the matter to a flrflSh.
The contents OF this letter was
not made known to the meeting,
owing to the fact that Mr.. Lauer
did not get there until the meet
ing was we'll under way.
Ny judgment and opinion IN
the matter had been formed long
ago, from much observation, in
quiry and study OF the question,
and SO far as ] am concerned the
principal object OF the meeting
was TO ascertain whether the tax
payers and consumers OF water
were going TO merely content
themselves with growing,
whether they were going to lie
down and crimge under the lash
like whipped ours or whether
they were going to fight to pro-
tect their interests and rights
like men.
When a faker is getting the
peoples money in shell game,
the real question is to determine
whether the game shall be stop
ed. and not to listen 10 long
winded protestations OF good in
tentims on the part OF the of
fender, or to permit him to enter
tain and delight his audience with
exhibitions of hrs skill by getting
the bystanders to guess which |
shell the pea is under, and prov
ing to them that it is under the
other shell.
If a man should come to me to-
day and tell me that he would |
sell me Carter's lead for three
cents per pound, and good lin
seed oil at twenty-five cents per
gallon, when / know that the
lead is worth eight cents per
pound and oil eighty-hve cents
per gallon, | would know that he
was a fraud and prevaricator,
and it would be folly to waste
time in listening to his explana-
trons.
And so it is in the water works
business. From all that has been
published in the papers, in the
way OF reports OF the water
works committee, OF which Mr..
Clizbe is chairman, and from
what the Tribune published OF
Mr.. Chzbe's explanation at the
Friday night meeting, it appears
that Mr.. Clizbe is undertaking
to make the people believe that
he is in the possession OF infor-
nation, secrets and facts that If |
true would revolutionize the in
dtrstrial world and make the mir