The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-11-07
MAYOR JONES REPLIES TO
RECENT ARTICLES IN NEWS
In and Cynical Communication Addressed
Nhef Water
Citizens Wil No Doubt, Appreciate
To The Lancaster News:

In your issue of October 25th.
1916, taxpayer r. e. Wylie has a
communication in which he contends
that in view of the pending consid-
Grafton Of the matter of supplying the
Lancaster Cotton Mills with one mil
lion gallons of water per month the
city council should be sure of two
things, First: Whether such a con-
tract would give the city reason
able profit and second, whether the
present source of water supply, con-
sidering the future growth of the
city, is not thereby endangered, and
calls upon the city council to give
the public the benefit of such facts.
figures and estimates as they may
have upon the subject.
| The Lancaster News in it's issue of
October 31st followed I'D this sub
ject with an editorial and expressed
It's understanding to be that the cost
| OF supplying the water to the cot
ton mills would be 500 per month
for every million gallons. and that
the city council would be generously
giving the cotton mills $40 per
month, and advised caution unon the
city council. In this editorial stress
was also laid upon the hazard of
undertaking to supply the water to
the cotton mill in view of the water
supply upon which the present and
future needs of Lancaster citizens
depend, and increasing the fire
risks and cost OF insurance protec-
ton, and suggests that the taxpayers
do little investigation on their own
account. and urges the limelight Of
publicity to be thrown upon the
matter.
Then again in the issue of Novem.
Der 3rd the editor of The News IN
great solmnity In view of the mag
nitude of his fear that the CITY coun.
Gil was about to do something ruin,
Gus to the interests Of the citizens.
addresses himself to the "Gentlemen
OF the City Council" and calls at
tention to rumor that the city
council have decided or are about to.
decide to furnish water to the Lam
caster Cotton Mills and again wants
to know whether the city would ge,
reasonable profit and whether the
source of water supply would not be
jeopardized
While somewhat veiled in express
sion, the purpose of the communica-
tion OF Mr.. Wylie and the editorials.
all eminating from the same sourc.
and combination in hostility to GER
tain members Of the city council and
to Col. Leroy Springs. as president oil
the Lancaster Cotton Mills, is mani
fest; and the design is not to hon
estly serve the public, but to insin-
uate that there is something rotten
In the scheme engineered to give the
interests OF Col. Springs some ad-
vantage at the expense of the public.
which calls for exposure, and to sue.
gest to the public that there Is NO
one in Lancaster more qualified to
protect the public interests THAI.
those paragons OF virtue. private and
civic, represented in the persons Of
r. f. Wylie, Luther Ellison, and
their associates who egg them on to
hurtful insinuations against public
officials.
! But. in this communication, I will
assume that the inquiries are honest
and intended to serve the public ann
make answer in like purpose, espe-
cially since some friends, whom
trust, deem IT wise and proper to air
this business proposition in the pub
lie prints. although any taxpayer or
citizen can get all the information he
needs by proper inquiry at the office
OF the city. council. 1t would seem
that the fact that the city council II
tcomposed OF men of good business
capacity and experience and thor
toughlyD devoted to the interests OF
thei citylwouid warrant a presump-
i,ttop attleast that they would not
jeopardfze the, interests of the citi-
szens who honored them. and trusted
them. -: :,s4.l..,., ~;
First. a. to the status OF the Matter.
No contract HAS been made to supply
Lancaster Cotton Mills with water
and Col. Leroy Springs, president,
has not sought to secure water OF the
lcity council. As a matter Of fact our
7 Information is that the cotton mill
has an ample water supply obtained
from deep wells and the overflow OF