The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-07-21

sand year to the city can be made,
for II her income Is increased this
much, which it Will be, taxes can be
lightened that much, or she will have
just that much more In the treasury.
The City Council. on last Wednesday
evening, passed the sidewalk ordi'
nance, and IL is now law; they also
passed an ordinance 10 submit 10 the
citizens the proposition to raise, by a
levy Of One-fOurth ot one per cent, u
sum sufficient to put our streets IN
good order and this was u natural
consequence Of the first ordinance, for
without such sum the sidewalk Ordl'
nance is null aud void and of 20 eff
feet.
The principal and most important
feature of the sidewalk ordinance was
that when any property owner refused
to build his sidewalk, IL should be done
by the city, aud the cost thereof coli
lccted by law from said property
owner.
As we showed last week, in u state
mcnt OF the city finances, there y 40
sum at the dispa--ss-it" Of the city with
whiclLs0 carry out this section Of the
! Sidewalk ordinance, and no surplus
fund which could be used anyhow TO
do what little the city requires on our
streets.
Now, the seven thousand dollars II
year which can be saved by the city
by the proposed reform, If judiciously
expended, will save the city annually
double the sum, and constitute IA
steady and increasing fund for street
improvement
With needed improvements Oh Ross
avenue, Bryan street, Wood, Jackson,
Jefferson, Camp, Young, Akard, etc,
the city cannot get along with less
than this sum.
lfthe city Is expected to build q new
I engine house, and purchase horses for
East Dallas, build new fire cisterns IN
the streets, fence up the cemetery, ant
do many other things, II 10 a necessity
which cannot be avoided otherwise
an additional tax Of one.fourth Of on,
per cent, or w. lnty.tiye cents on tn,
hundred dollars must De levied.
Then, with such sum at their dis
posal and Il paid gang OF five men con
( stantly at work on the st cts, all re
pairs can be promptly and substantial
. ~ made, all mud holes filled with bro
ken stone, all sewers aud cutters KEEP
, open, new streets opened, old one
widened and Strengthened, and tn,
city he made to look like city.
The HERALD wishes 1t distinct,
understood that no personal war i
= made on any OF the city officials anC
, that the proposed reform system i
presented with view of increasing
the city's income, lessening its ex
penses, tightening the burden Of taxa
ton and guarding the interests Of tn,
property holders, the Taxpayers anC
and the people at large. Reform i
imperative, and The HERALD relic
on the people and on the justice OF it
cause to put in force this desirable re
form in the administration of city
affairs.
The present Council has no author
ity to make any reduction of salaries
, Of the present officials, they having
been elected under the old charter, OF
which their fees and salaries wer,
stipulated, but the next Council, undeI
the new charter will have the author
lty to make the change proposed by
The HERALD, from system of feet
aud nominal salaries, to one OF salarie.
only, the fines to be in full OF the pre-
sent fine aud costs and to 20 into the
city treasury.
In the meantime, THE HERALD has
endeaVored to point out the advantage
of the proposed reform that the next
Council may enter upon its practical
application.