The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-05-03
The City Council.

The city council met in regular session last
evening. The failure to take notice of the
city engineers Office was one of the most no.
ticeable of the shortcomings of this body.
Having drawn public attention to the present
methods of the city surveyors Office, the
council seems averse to following up its own
work The engineers letter, treating the
council with contempt, is still in possession of
the council but not formally received or acted
on. The board look to ''his honor" for the
wink, and Of course personal considerations
will weigh against the public good.
THAT LITTLE VETO.
ellis honor was thoroughly consistent in
his veto of the resolution passed at previous
meeting, directing the street commissioner to
employ his force at least five days in each
ward during the month. This measure was
similar in its character to a measure passed
two years ago, making an equitable division
of the labor of the street commissioner and
the contingent fund.
The following is the text of the veto:
To the Honorable Board Of Aldermen
GENTLEMEN-I herewith return, without
my approval the resolution adopted at your
last meeting, directing the street commissioner
to employ his force (laborers and carts) at least
five days in each month, in each ward, for the
reasons hereinafter set forth.
The interests of the city will be best sub
served by the employment Of the street force
upon those thoroughfares upon which business
is concentrated and traffic the greatest, with
out regard to the political subdivisions wards
thereof which can bear no proper relation
thereto.
No 81 tbn, orI tb..1 nc IL;
or wards IN which they may reside, are vitality
interested in the general progress and prosper
ty Of this city, and whatever tends to facilitate
trade and commerce, must rebound to the
benefit of ALL
But, if this were not so, a moments reflec
ton will convince you that the proposed dis
ributon of the public labor is upon most
unequal basis, for in one or more wards there
is little or no travel or traffic when compared
with others, and the consequent need for
work, repairing streets where traffic abounds,
is tenfold greater than in the other.
Your legislation should not have any refer
ence to the work in contradistnction to the
general wants and good of the whole people.
l might name other and even more Cogent
reasons why this resolution should not 60 into
effect, but consider it unnecessary.
If your object is to see that equal consider
alton and justice is given by the street COM
missioner to all sections of the city, let the
matter be placed under the direction and sup
ervision of the committee on streets, they to
confer with the commissioner, and advise
when and how he shall distribute his labors;
but no inhexible rules should be applied to
control him.
Believing that the resolution has been
adopted without that consideration the subject
demands, respectfully request that it may
be reconsdered, J. H. FRENCH,
Mayor.
The falacy or injustice Of the reasons given
in this veto must be apparent to every
thinking citizen. The idea of the mayor is
that it would not do to require the street COM
missioner to work at least five days in each
ward, because it would be too inhexible a
regulation, and that in wards one and four
there is comparatively little travel and all the
work of the commissioner is required in the
third ward or vicinity.
Then he winds up by saving if the object is
to secure equal consideration of all sections of
the city, to let the matter be turned over to the
street committee, who are to act jointly with
the street commissioner. This imposes upon
the committee on streets executive work, and
looks very much as if the street commissioner
is to have some alderman or aldermen as his
assistants. Alderman Story has already &C
quired the sohiquet of assistant street COM
missioner. The truth is the measure was
eminently just one, and perfectly practicable.
When it so happens that ward does not re-
qure the labor Of the street commissioner he
could easily be occupied in another ward. The
requirement could have been so amended as
to admit of this deviation without destroying
of it entirely, and each ward in the city would
have felt that an equal measure of public work
had been accorded it.
The wards are so bounded that each has a
share in the main business thoroughfares and
these objections raised by ''his honor" are
not we'll taken.