Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-01-31
For the indicator.
Our Town.


: Messrs. Editors st may be, under exist
ing circumstances, our one horse Railroad
having failed for more than week 10 bring
you mail, and there being little prospect
OF our having one fora week to come andAr
the energetic mansg cement which in so emil
nent degtee characto. .zes its affairs, you
may have little space which you are will
ing to devote to The immediate affairs of our
community. Under this belief we venture
to make few suggestions upon our town.
In the outset, however, we desire to say,
1t is not our purpose to make an assault up
ON either OF the gentlemen who compose the
Council and Court. We have the kindest
personal relations with them all, and wish
rather to see them institute the necessary
reformation than to try the experiment of a
new Council OF reformers. It is undeniable
that we are not only groaning under OPP
presslve taxation, but we are suffering grie-
yances infinitely more intolerable.
For the sake of perspicuity let US classify
and briefly discuss some of these grievances.
THE WATER WORKS.
First, in regard to water. It is fact,
well known, that large sums Of money have
been expended to supply the town with wa.
ter--indeed, the greater part of the debt Of
the town, which exceeds S20, 900, has been
incurred for the purpose of supplying it
with this Indispensable article The anti
cipated results from these expenditures have
never been realized, and for months past, a
supply of water has been worse than a ia
ble." Many speeulations have been indulg-
ed az to the cause of this failure of water
many lust animadyersions have been made
upon the details of the management, such
as, the abominable contract With the Rail
Road Company to supply their tanks-the
allowing of the Hospital reservoir to be sup
piled from the town pipe-and the waste
caused by permitting hydrants to run IN
every part OF the town from negligence and
inattention on the part of the polee-most
of which have becp or are about being cor
reetea. But it is now pretty well ascertain
ed, We believe, that the great causes of this
failure are, the insuf6cieney Of the spring
and the want of a reservoir.
We appeal to she CITY Fathers to rem
edy this evil Surely they can procure an
other spring in the neighborhood of the two
now owned by the Corporation. and at n
comparatively small expense, which may be
united with them by adding to the present
line of pipe, and give us all abundant sup
ply of water. The adoption of this plan,
together with the erection of reservoir,
would supply our wants, and render the ex-
penditures heretofore made Of come avail.
THE FIRE DEP ARTMEXp
As being of intimate connection, we next
take up the "Fire Department Without
sufficient supply Of water, we know this
Department must be inefficient. Bat we
confidently assert that, with supply equal
to that furnished by the Crcton Water
Works, we are almost at the mercy Of the
terrible element-without an adequate sup
ply of water We are entirely 80. Why,
think Of it, ye City Fathers = but a few
nights SINCE the houses of two most estinla-
bic widow ladies were consumed for tue
want of a few buckets of water The water
might, possibly, have been procured from
Schmitt's pump, but there were no buckets :
The writer Of this, when he was leaving the
fre-the second house being nearly consul
med, and there being no possible chance of
doing any good by relnaining-met the
Chief Of Police, with two or three negroes
laundering through the Snow Yitharms full
Of buckets
The town owns engines, hose and fire.
buckets We will not say they are worth
mueh-tllo engines we know are not-but
such az they are, they are rarely ever bro't
till the FIRE has burned ous-the old sto-
ry Of locking the stable after the horse is
stolen.
Ia the name Of humanity we ask for a
Fire organization. The present one is just
worse than none at all. We must be al
lowed, however, to say, We have observed at
! all the fires which have occurred in the last
two or three years, that the Mayor, (Mr.
Trout, J and the Sergeant, (Mr Craig) have
done all that it was possible to do, to make
this Reorganization OF service.
THE STREETS.
| Money, enough has been spent on our
streets to make them passabie, but the pres
ent system can never be made to work we'll.
No three gentlemen can ever he found who
will perform the duties of Street Commits
sioners, as required by the Ordnance. r
is not in the nature of man to discharge the
duties of an Office well, whon there is nei-
Their honor nor emolument attached to it.
The present system is Il fliiare-deyse a
new one. Try Superintendent Of Streets
elected by tie Council and paid make him
accountable to the Council and hold him to
rigid accountability.
THE POLICE.
Either have one, or don't tax us 50 much
and let us police for ourselves We can't
discuss the police-we might lose our tenn
per-but we will suggest that the Town
Constable, (old Hays) in former times, did
keep things straight. Why can't We have
Town Constable The office would pay
an energetic and efficient man, without in
juring the Office of Sergeant He and the
Sergeant would make a vastly more efficient
police than we now have and cost the town
nothing.
We arc not aware Of any change Of the
law authorizing the appointment ola Town
Constable; but if there is, abolish the pres
cnt onerous system, and notify the two
Constables residing in town, you intend APP
plying to the next Legislature to re-enact it,
if they don't discharge their duties as police
officers, and our word for it, the town will
be better policcd
THE POOR.
The present system of providing for the