Omaha daily bee., 1874-06-20
HOW NOT TO 90 IT.
Municipal Extravagance.
Communicated }

OMAHA, June ~.
EDITOR OMAHA BEE:
Two years ago our City Council
received a proposition from Messrs.
Hanscom and NJ cGeath to donate to
the lefty of Omaha a tract of 81
| 6S-1OO acres Of land about two miles
southwest of the Court House for
park purposes. This proposition was
accompanied by the following con-
ditional requirements:
1. The park shall be named Hans
com Park. 2. The city shall ex-
pend in ornamenting and beautify-
ing the grounds the sum of three
thousand dollars in 1878, four thou
sand dollars per year in lS74-75 and
1876, and five thousand for each Of
the years 1s77-7s. 8. The city
shall eve after keep the same in
good repair. 1a5
This proposition, it will be OBJ
served, involves a total expenditure
of twenty-five thousand dollars
upon the 81 6S-l00 acres thus dOna-
ted.
Last year a special committee on
parks was appointed from the menu
bers of the council. clothed with
full power to incur all necessary in
debtedness for the fulfillment of the
obligations for the year 1873. They
employed q landscape architect (?)
and a full force of men to cut out
brush, and build fencing. No plan,
however, was ever devised for any
definite future Improvements, but a
few pet friends of the members of
the committee, were kept in a soft
lob all summer. When less than
twO-thirds of the grounds were
cleared of brush, and a plain board
fence was completed around the
grounds, the three thousand dollars
was used up. The temptation OF
controlling the disbursements ofthe
balance%S22, 00O-appears now to
be almost beyond even the powers
of aldermanic gravity to resist.
BY dint of patriotic sacrifices OF
time and extraordinary zeal in pub
lie welfare, a committee With tuA
pOWers has been regenerated, and Is
> headed by a chairman of past ex-
. perience in the municipal employ
ment department. This committee
propose to rush things, as they term
> it. Already they are dickering fol
a survey or landscape, architect, and
3 superintendent, sc as to hasten the
work for a few months and keep q
few darling pets at work without
loss of time, as they expressed 1T al
the last Council meeting. Now, in
the name of common sense, when
will the city Of Omaha cease this
kind of bidding and go aboutthings
as business men ought to? Why
. employ men to work under Council
5 committees
Why not order the City Engineer
to make a full Typographical survey
and maps, and then get an erperi'
enced landscape architect, and LEI
the two devise plans with all neces.
sary details for submission to the
Council. What is the engineer paid
for if not to do the surveying for TIT
: city. 1.-The Is Incompetent, the best
way to get rid of him is to order
him to make the surveys, and IL ht
fails, the charter provides q remedy,
Nc work should be done upon the
Park until plans showing in detail
every portion Of the work to be
done, with estimate of its ultimate
cost, are presented and approved.
Then let the work be proceeded with
under contract and not by any
favorite political jObbers at double
the necessary cost. Every member
of the council who votes away the
q power entrusted to him by a con
stituency to q special committee,
where $25, 900 dollars are involved
= should be reminded that he violate.
a sacred trust. Why not leave al
\ such matters to the Judgment of thu
whole Council? IT cannot be gain.
: said that the little clearing Of brusl
: work last fall In the Park grounds
: cost double as much as it cOul(
have been done for by contract.
Therefore let every citizen prOtes
against a repetition of rings In oul
Municipal management. If thu
taxpayers are to be assessed fol
identifying and ornamenting
public park, let them have the full
benefit of their money.
!, By publishing the above you will
, Oblige A TAXPAYER.