The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-07-18

The Best to be Done.
Editor Journal:
If you are not crowded with com
munications, I would be obliged to
you for place in your valuable pa
per for the following, from an old
tax payer, if you should think il wor.
thy, and are not yourself imbued
with the spirit of extraysgance and
rscklessness so manifest in our city at
present. / suppose I may at the COM
mencement class myself as an old
fogy. l presume / belong to the
same class that Nc" writer in
the Courier. few days ago. belongs
to. ! confess it made me feel good to
see that somebody has the nerve to
venture little good advice to the
Water Works Committee, in regard
to the purchase of property for the To-
cation of the Works; but am afraid,
Judging from their unwarranted haste
in rushing the contract through the
Council to an evident favorite,) that
they will not be likely to pay much
attention to Nc" or any one else.
who is not willing TO Join the cry Of
"Au hail 10 Young America. !" and
Well done, good and faithful scr.
wants"
When these servants let n little
contract for Water Works. amount
ing to ORts betlreen tloo and three han-
dred thousand dollars, and letting it
too without as much advertising or
publicity as We used to give to a shoot
ing match when two or three turkeys
were at stake. verify the ways of
Young america, to an old fogy, are
mysterious.
recently heard Of two sons who
requested their father to take less
trouble and care In the management
ct his business. and they would rent
his property and collect the rents and
report to him quarterly. He finally
consented, and by appropriatiDg their
fsther's moDev the boys had q good
time of 1t. They smoked fine cigars.
drank line wines, and Bob and Bill
would compliment each other for the
able manner in which they t1ent for
the old man. Now, when / was a
boy this would be called stealing, but
now they call it going for yOH
L do not wish 1t understood that /
am opposed to a progressive policy !;
on the contrary l admire and commend
1t. We gave some years ago, one
hundred thousand dollars to the
Evansville & Crowfordsville Rail-
road; it was money we'll spent-it
could not have been invested better.
We all felt the effects of it before the
road was fairly completed. Next we
were called upon to give two hundred
thousand dollars to the Straight Line,
and we did so, but they only "lUeni
for as, and we got no road. Still we
felt the effects, and | believe yet feel
the effects of that subscription.
understand they Intend going for as
again soon. Next we gave three
hundred thousand to the Nashville
road. / believe this to be good in
vestment also. Then we gave in th'
county, two hundred and forty-twt
thousand dollars, and in the cit.
three hundred thousand dollars, fo
d road into Southern Illinois, and j
they don't " 90 f0g as, this will ais
be a good Investment.
Next comes the Water Works. w
were asked to give any amount fo
this purpose. and we do so, I don
believe it win be quite enough to ge
through on-) The Boys, of course
wanted to attend to it themselves
didR't want the cid men on the Coun
Gil 70 work too hard asked for, an
received, permission to make all ne
gOtiatiOns, and preport, and. | under
stand, smoked fine cigars, drank iu
wine, and now we see Smith goin
for Weir" and Weir going fl
Smith with a margin of from twent
to forty thousand dollars, and v
taxpayers are promised dood de-
Of fun for our money. When wi
our people learn good sense? Whe
will they learn to elect no man to tt
Council who must not squander
dollar of his own money before
can squander dollar of mine.
Now, sir. what are we tax-psye
benefited to know that Mr.. Smith
willing to do this work forty thousan
dollars cheaper than Mr.. Weir, unle
we 60 to work like sensible men al
protect our interests, (snd / wou
here propose that as Mr.. Weir b
been at no great Inconvenience II
that the city compromise with hi
buy him off, pay him literally f
travelling expenses, hotel bills. cigal
and whatever was drank while he "
going for hen.") l believe Il
would be wisdom on the part of 0
Council; let as know more about WI
we are undertaking; let us see WI
we can get for our bonds; let us
vestigate this four inch pipe a lit
/ understand some of our gas piE
are eight inches; If so, four incl
looks rather small for the "purpC
of extingnishing fires and supplyi
our dwellings with plenty Of pl
water In few years, at least, tn,
will have to be; thrown away and
placed with larger ones. l am ey
afraid they will be too small 10 ma
respectable squirt guns for the 81
of our present young America.
YOurs SEVPNTy Srx