The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-01-29
SANITARY AND STREETS.
The question that il Now AGi-
taxing all Texas Cities.

Hardly paper in the state published
in a place of three thousand inhabitants
or upward but what at the present time
IS clamoring Cor better sanitary meas
ares and Improvement of the public
streets. 1t is not spasmodic clamor,
either, confined to one or two issues,
but Is seen in every number. All seem
to imply that the same difficulty
IS encountered in accomplishing
the task which all seem so DESTROYS
Of seeing performed, VIZ, the inability to
raise inuds to carry out the work. In
Dallas the citizens have held meetings to
devise ways and means to protect the
general health and put the streets in
better condition. Quagmires and slums
calculated to breed all sorts OF sickness
are pointed out i'll every portion of the
cijy The same is the case in every
other city throughout the state, and the
greatest surprise is manifested that in a
siclly season such as seems to be gen.
eral all over the country, Texas has es.
/ capped so well. While we cannot
! iy any course of reasoning bring our
| selves to believe that Waco is in any
| thing Ike proper sanitary condition
| We believe she Is nearer so than most
| other Texas cities. We must, too, give
her credit for having one disadvantage
! to labor under that no other city that
we know has, and withal has surmount.
| ed it and came out as well, If not better
| than some city If we have not popu-
lation of 10000, we are Just near enough
! to it to have all the expenses Of a city
| of that size, while We have scarce
! II half the revenue. This is because
/ our charter does not permit us to in
crease the rate of taxation until we can
! show by our census a population of ten
| thousand or more, and III this condition
We have to get along on revenue which
would at best only support city of five
! thousand in average 81 ape. Those cities
/ winch are very much under ten thousand
/ can get along CD a small rate of taxation
and those over that population can levy
a tax that viii be adequate to run the
city government That they do not dc
so and put their streets in
good condition and improve the
sanitary condition does not speak
well for them. But whatever may be
the causes IN one city and anOthe- in the
state which keep the governments OF
/ ea'l from giving these all-importaut
matters attention, the time seems to
have come when they should be moved
What course other cities may take we do
nol know, but Waco should strive in
/ every direction to have our sanitary
matters and streets III better shape
/ Although for several Years past the gen
eral health has been good here, We must
not attribute it to good drainage
and cleanliness, but good luck. We, as
well as the other cities which
/ are crying out, have many cess-pools
and Sums, which, in the season just be-
/ fore us, might breed disease that would
/ prove very disastrous. We cannot af-
/ ford to lose our good reputation for
health, for let a city once become known
as an unhealthy place and it is more
paralyzing to her than TO he swept by
/ flames. We hope, in addition to the
! efforts that are now being made, some
means may he 'rrivel at whereby We can
/ be able to expend more money and time
in attending to those matters, and it is
/ 10 be hoped the greatest attention may
be given them all over the state, that we
may not only be comfortable, but at all
times safe.