Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-09
AN UTTERLY FOOLISH BUNCH,
rHE MAYOR, the city council and
the city attorney, collectively, at

rHE MAYOR, the city council and
the city attorney, collectively, at
least, should know something Of
the city charter, and if they do not,
should hire an attorney to read and ex'
plain it to them. Do they know or un.
derstand iti The indications are that
they do not. If they do they are guilty
of deliberately squandering $1,000 Of the
people money, or at least such sum as
they pay Engineer Dieck to investigate
the Salem Water company's plant with
the view of buying it. As will be seen
on the front page of this issue of The
Capital Journal, the amendment to the
city charter, giving the city authority
to purchase the Salem Water company
plant contains about as large sized a
Seuegambian as ever hid in so small
woodpile.
Section II of the ordinance aspublish-
ed on the front page, makes it the duty
of the city council in laying or extend
ing the water mains in the city to as
sess the cost thereof on the property
benefited upon the street over which
said mains are TO be laid or extended,
and the cost of such extensions shall be
a lien upon the property benefited
thereby. The charter is mandatory. 1t
leaves the city council no choice, but
saws the cost of extensions shall be
chargeable to and lien upon the prop
erty benefited.
1t will be seen from this, that should
the city council submit the matter Of
purchasing the plant to vote, and
should that vote befavorable to the pur'
chase of the plant, then the city would
be in the same situation it now is in
regard to its sewer bonds.
The outlying districts in the city lin.
its not at the time of the purchase of
the plant reached by the water mains,
would have to bear their proportion of
the taxes levied to pay for the plant,
without deriving any benefit therefrom,
and at the same time, if the water
mains were extended to reach them, be
compelled to pay the entire expense of
such extension. This would also apply
to any territory Salem might take into
her city limits.
The districts not now reached by
mains would bo taxed to meet the
bonds They would also in addition
have to pay for the laying Of mains tc
their property, and this cost would be
lien upon their property "to be en-
forced in the manner provided by char
ter for enforcing liens against property
for the cost Of street improvements
That is what the charter proyides,
II might be claimed the income from
the plant would eventually pay for it
and no tax would ever be required Thii
would be very fine for the city, but nj
matter how much money the city had
ar from what source it came, the cost O.
extending the mains MUST BE AS
sESSED AGAINST THE PROPERTY
BENEFITED. The mayor and tn,
council have no choice in this; It i
mandatory
It is this kind Of a proposition tina
will be submitted to Salem voters, i
any is submitted, because it is the onl,
kind the mayor and council have II
their shop; the only one they can sub
init. Now with voters understanding
this what chance has the proposition Il
caryi Those not now reached by th
water mains would vote against it 70
sclfprotection, Every fairminded maj
in the city would vote against it, on sc
count Of its evident unfairnoss, IL
gross injustice, II II ever goes befor
the people it will be showed under tot
deep for the snow plow and wreckinj
crew TO find IT, For this reason we sa,
the mayor, council and city attorney
n he advised II, are simply squanderni
whatever money is paid for ostimatn,
tho yaluo Of the Salem Water compan,