The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-01

legally created nonpartsan water board. why
not accept tho Shell creek proposition as one
which has definitely been rcIected2
Has the Tribune the utter impudence 20
again assert that the IMPERIAL city of Tulsa
should diacrc1it its water board. turn them out
ot office and elect men acceptable to Itself and
M Page simply iu order that The city of Tulsa
shall be- forced 10 fall Tor the shc creek gaino2
n that ls tho tenor OF The Trbunc's thoughts
then Jet It come into the open directly and 80
state Let lt open its Eight ON he water bonrd
ON any such grounds and the humilIating de-
feat received Tuc7day viii bc mere slap ON
the wrist compared to what it VIII receive in
such contest
The World had hoped that the period Of acri-
mony and division had ended in Tulsa Tor "a
substantial period of uuc. Tho world had
hoped thai the magnitude of Tuesdays victory
would cause even tho Tribune 10 fall in step
with the onward march OF TULSA Such hope
appears TO have been without reason. s., 90
sccms nttug 10 state some truths concerning
this thoroughly .Iscrcditcd shcol creek propa-
ganda, some truths io addition to tho admis-
sions which Page himself made In his letter
20 the campaign committee.
I'm the fret place. had Tulsn connected with
shcu crec, when the proposition Tor It 20 do
available water would long ago havc been OK
hnustcd and Tuls, would be back ArkansaA
river and the bottle. ~ would have been back
ON the Nrkansas and the bottle 80 days ago.
In the second place. the supply OF watcr now
behind tho Shell creek dam is below the point
which Barstow 4 Earle declare to be the dan
ger point ln their report To- tho merchants
water board. Which means that thoro is not
drop OF water behind the Shell creek dam to-
day which s ~ to use ard which any authority
would recommend to the city.
In the third place the wntcr In Shell creek
now--or any watcr that viii over bo impoundcd
behind the dams totally unit FOR drinking
purposes and would never be used foe drinking
purposes by any man or woman able to pur.
chase other water. The only advantage Shell
creek water has over Arkansas river water is
found IN the fact that It is soft and would
therefore be better adapted 30 boiler use II
would not take Tuisa OF the bottle and no
one undcrslands this better than the proprle-
tor OF the sand Springs water company, who,
strange enough is also proprietor Of the Shell
creek dam
The water now impounded behind the Shell
creek dam Is three feet lower than 1t was
when the Shcn creek controversy began, The
mark ls distinct on the banks and on the dam
Yet not a gallon has been drawn from behind
the dam, where has 1t gonc'
And the water now there shows for itself in
quality. why should any citizen OF this city
engage In u controversy concerning this mat
ter? IL Is a short trip to Shell creek. Go there,
view the physical conditions for yourself. and
then pillory the individual who proposes
| to you that you take on formidable additional
financial obligations to purchase a partial sup
ply OF this water.
Wo say again, the water hoard would have
earned the scorn OF this community had It made
"A contract for Shell creek water even on tho
terms It proposed TO Page. Had It done so, and
submitted the contract to tho people Tor ap-
lrovnl as the law requires said contract would
have been ropudiated we say now, that
should a contract he made and submitted to the
people OF Tulsa they would inform themselves
concerning shell creek conditions and would
reject the contract by substantially the same
majority they gave for spavInaw.
we admit that II there was an adequate sup
ply OF water in Shell crcck'for the city's needs
even though the quality was below the stand
ard required FOR drinking purposes--that 1t
might be worth considering as temporary
supply pending the arrival ot spayinaw water.
But no such supply Is available. Every ong-
ncer has said 70. and Page himself admits II,
explaining that he only offers Tulsa such guam
! uty Of water as / may have to spare"
/ Il affords The world no pleasure to takc up
/ this discussion AT this time. II would far pre-
fer TO appeal to united citizenship TO press
forward towards some other community