Morning Journal And Courier

COMMUNICATIONS.

The Water Question.

To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:

The recent offer of the Water company reminds me of the old story of the white man and the Indian who were out hunting together. The Indian shot a turkey, the white man a crow; in the evening they met and the white man said to the Indian: Let us divide the game fairly between us --you take the crow and I will take the turkey. If you don't think that fair, then I will take the turkey and you can take the crow. The Indian after a long silence said, "You no talk turkey to me."

The Water company says in substance to New Haven: "If you now vote not to take our water pipes, dams and lands, together with all our valuable franchises and privileges, at the value of the waterworks alone, then we agree, at any future time, to sell you our whole property at a fair price. In other words, if you do not wish to have all the property by paying for one-half of it, at any future time we will sell you the whole of it at a fair price. We make this offer to show how honest and innocent we are."

Does the Water company imagine that the people of New Haven are so stupid as not to see through this affair? We now have a contract under which we can buy out the Water company entirely without paying one cent for their franchise. There is nothing oppressive in this to the Water company, because this franchise cost them nothing, and because the contract directs us to pay the cost of the works, together with interest, at the rate of ten per cent. per annum. Ten per cent. is a high rate of interest and would satisfy most people. But the Water company are not contented with this liberal profit. They are now trying to get out of the present contract by making a new contract. This new contract they wish to make all "turkey" to the Water company and all "crow" to the people of New Haven.

FAIR PLAY.