The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-05-23

made Immediately OH lllOlHloIiN'
by the district attorney and Indlct-
ments could be returned by tn"
grand iIrv which is to be convened |
in few days. He made 1t plaln
that this law had been tranSgreSSed,
probably through inadVertence, by
the drillers, but ignorance Of the
law was no excuse. There was no
need Of violence, as was lnIilnaieu
bv one man over excited. The drill
ers had some right which should be
considered. 1t was true that they
had contracted for salt water ana
the we'll had developed gas but. the
gas could be easily converted into
salt water if it was so desired ami
the contract of the drllIerS would
be completed.
1t was suggested that the drilling
contractors be advised of the law
and its effect and at the same time
rendered the price OF the contract
for boring the water wells, soft and
salt. aggregating $500. Should the
proposition be accepted the Mayor
was to assume immediate charge OF
the we'll.
Following o brief parley the prop
OsitiOn as explained was accepteG
and the Mayor, as the representative
of all the people, assumed posses
sion of the we'll.
It was then that Mr.. Clayton and
Mr. .DeVore volunteered their eXpe-
rience and their assistance to the
Mayor, which was accepted. lmme-
diately thereafter Mr.. Clayton and
Mr. DeVoe were hurried in the auto
of Mr.. S. S. Hunter to the w. X.
Henderson Iron Works and Supply
Company, where there was pro
cured the appliances needed to pro
tect the we'll which was closed be
fore starlight Such in brief IS the
recital of few hours OF a most
stirring experience.
The next all important and all alb
sorbing problem is what is to be
done with the we'll
Possibly the Mayor and the com
missioners may be inclined to OBJ
tain immediate revenue from the
products of the we'll; in mere direct
words money for improvements oil
the streets but to whom would the
gas yield be conceded?
There is no authority vested III
the Council by charter or otherwise
that would warrant a sale or a
| transfer of the gas products any
| more than its streets to any corpor-
alton or any individuals and II such
authority were to be sought
through the Legislature it would
arouse such Indignation on the par'
of the people as would lead to Its
overwhelming defeat in the Legisla-
| ture and would eliminate III I'M
pleasant proceedings.
This gas we'll and its product Is
not the property of the city, that IS
the Mayor and the commissioners
but it is the property OF all the peo-
Die, all the men and all the women
land all the children, and of the
Mayor and of the commissioners by
whom they are represented.
| There should be no i'll feeling
| evinced or expressed in a matter o.
| so vital import to the city O
Shreveport and its future welfare.
| OF all the values possessed b!
the municipality which have beel
given away for the asking AM
which if controlled by the city to
day would be reckoned into hun
dreds of thousands of dollars tn
, gas we'll is the one property WhlcI
unexpectedly has come into the pos
, session of the community Whlcl
, must be held for the general goo
of all the people.
Il The value of this gas well
scarcely appreciated. It's capacity /
E from five to ten million cubic Zee
day. The gas supply in the preser
f actual control of the city OF ShreVt
4 port would meet the requirement
of fifty or sixty thousand mhab
a tants besides manufacturing indu:
t tries for years to come.
! If this great gift of nature wei
, to be transferred Gf posslble)
/, some individual or corporation Il
> the sake of revenues for street IN
prominent it would be equal to
: Icrime. We do not believe there WI
be an. attempt in that direction.
, would be worse than the selling
: ones birth for "a mess OF potash
as a well known citizen OF ShreV
,fl port would express it.
MI There should be an immedia
!, gathering together OF the peop
with their representatives. The CT
and the future welfare must
,o first and always.