Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-10
WORSE AND MORE OF IT,


front page story undertakes to eI'
plain away that section II in the
amended charter which says: 1.-The
city council of the city of Salem is here
by authorized and empowered at such
time as it may deem advisable, to pro-
vide by ordinance for assessing the cost
of laying and extending the water
mains in the city, to the property bene
fitted upon the streets over which said
mains are to be laid or extended, and
the cost Of making such extensions shall
be a lien upon the property benefited
thereby"
The morning paper says the matter
was thoroughly discussed during the
campaign, which is a story made from
whole cloth, as that feature was never
mentioned or discussed, was never un'
derstood by the voters, who, thinking
the legal part of the charter had been
attended to, never examined into it, nor
was it pointed out to others by any Of
the newspaper or city officials.
The morning paper, in an explanation
that does not explain, says:
''The men who wrote the above par
agraph contended at that time that 1t
was not mandatory; that the city coun'
ell need never pass such an ordinance,
for it was discretionary with that body
being merely authorized and empow
cred at such time as it may deem ad
visable to provide that thing by ordi
nance.
And it was stated by the councilmeI
then in office that they had no inten
tion to pass any such ordinance; an'
that the paragraph was inserted merel,
as a matter Of protection to the city
as a safeguard; for some promote
might lay off an addition far distan
and demand mains at the general ex
pense that might not produce an ade
ouate revenue or any revenue at all 70
many years,
That is the whole matter, as all oil
residents who kept in touch with tina
campaign of nearly three years ago wi
well remember.
Point Not Reached,
In the present campaign for munic
pal ownership, or rather preliminar
preparation for II, the point has not "
been reached to consider that matte
1t is one merely Of detail,
However, the writer happens
know that Il was talked over by SON
OF the members Of the present wat,
committee as much as two weeks az
and that II was agreed that, in view
the fears Of some Of the outside pro
erty holders (however groundless),
would be well to have an amendme
submitted to the paragraph nam'
which would read something like thi
And the cost OF making such eNte
sions may be made lien upon q
property benefited thereby etc tn
in order that the safeguard might st
he kept In cases Of wildcat promote
schemes, and still so that the outlyi'
districts still without water mains, b
with prospective customers enough
Justify them, would be fully assur
thr' they wcro not going to be dc'
with unfairly"
Now, just note the argument IT
men who wrote the paragraph at {
time considered that it was not mant
tory"
Does what the trainers Of that chi
ter amendment contcnded or thoug
have anything to DO with what {
amendment plainly statcs'
Is what they thought or eontended
the time, or what they wrote in {
amendment 10 the charter the lswl
is the amendment to be interpret
~ and from It's statements, or from {
intentions 10 the minds OF the men "
francd iti
II is claimed that HI is paved wi