The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-20
A HYPorneuCAL BUT FoRCIBLE AR
GlIMENT

the work has at last begun TO tell. There
is now not candidate Offering himself for
municipal office who would dare come out
on the moss back" platform. All OF them
EXPRESS themselves rs in favor OF system
of improvements thar will render Dallas
externally as attractive and inviting as
other cities of its size and importance IN the
country. The trouble and backwardness
and penny wise policy that have heretofore
characterized our own municipal govern
ment, seem to have been also preva-
lent articles of faith in other and
more pretenhous trade and popu-
lation centers than our own town. Nota'
bly, among these San Francisco has been
suffering, first with reference to her water
supply, and just recently in the matter OF
gas. stinginess, niggardliness, the penny
wise policy always contemplate and gen
orally disastrous in the end, has been
shutting off the gas out there and throwing
the city in darkness. In advocacy of gas
ties the papers have adopted the hypothet-
ical style Of argument, which frequently Is
as powerful In working through the mag
nation ~ reasoning based, upon facts Is,
in influencing the judgment.
A great conilagration is sup
posed TO occur in the present emer gen
cy, such an occurrence always threatens u
great crowded city, aud one of the journals
proceeds to write 1t up in the following
manner; whole blocks of costly struC-
lures have been reduced to ashes; street
after street has been devastated; the calam-
ity which visited Chicago, and subsequently
the city of Boston, has been repeated. Bust
ness enterprises, founded by years Of ear
nest effort, have been ruined permanently,
and their projectors reduced 10 beggafy.
Men who were rich yesterday are to-day
penniless Tens of thousands of our people
are out of employment or without a roof TO
shelter them. The insurance companies
are in doubtful ii not Frustrated condition,
A niggardly and criminal economy insisted
upon by certain newspapers and petty po-
litioal schemers not necessary to mention
in the present inilammablc condition OF
the public mind who literally forced
the supervisors to take action, has
almost annihilatod San Francisco"
II such disaster should now befall San
Francisco there could bo no better evidence
of the wisdom of those who would at any
cost almost provide these comforts and safe
guards that every city 80 needs, nor illus
, tration of the contemplate economy that
would risk millions upon millions aud The
happiness of thousands Of citizens for tht
sake Of saving n few paltry hundreds. And
when every man of sense must admit that
such an occurrence is not only possible, but
threatening at all times the force Of the
Hypothetical argument is at once secn
, Such niggardly spirit is displayed in 1
number of ways, but it is always found tC
be tending to the same resut-a risking o
the welfare, wealth, health aud progress o
! whole city to save iow dollars already
I. in sight. There are two ways Of especia
0 significance in running town by want o
progressive and intelligent handling OF it
interests and affairs. The first is that men
toned above, where the proper means io
preserving and protecting what there al
secondly, the failure or refusal to do tina
which Is necessary for inducing create
growth and influx of capital and prosperity
T. A man who will not protect what no hg5an
T. who will sit by aud for fear of losing n fe'
IT dollars or going into debt suffer hs whol
estate to go to the dogs, 10 not accredlte
a by the world with any very great degrc
10 Of sense Equally ~ foolish is the ma
v who wraps his talent in napkin and b
(. trays m utter want of business energy
foresight. And yet rs the world Is full
men of both classes, 1t need not surprise
" if good sprlnkling of one kind or the 9th
~ finds Its way into the various municip
)" chairs and boards throughout the countr
u Nor need IL further surprise us If once the
10 these characters of officials jeopnrdizo
one way or another the best interests
"a the cities and people whom they we
an chosen to protect and enhance. n
" surprise IL that those whose b,
or interests are thus In question shou
n mako such selections. Tho fact almc
he leads to tho conviction that majority
n, half the communities in the land belong
he that class represented in the Scriptures
the man from whom tho Lord In his ans
took away tho talent and left to his o,
Ill poor. worthless ingenuity 1t is astonis
De- Ing to sec, In telling over the citizens o.
'ss city OF any considerable size, how few
Wo them are real shrewd, progressive m,
Nv men who will do their duty to themsol,
ia' and families by surrounding themsel'
IVY with every advantage and comfort they c
ho obtain, and throwing out dollars for
ne sake of getting two back whore one was
loose, They can IN apopulation of twei
eo or thirty thousand generally be number
on the fingers OF the hands, 1t is very co
Rr. mon TO hear progressive and wi
he awake talk, but the courage for
or. ton seems to DO an unknown quaint
NV In Dallas the trouble has been that our I
by cnt has been wrapped up in the napk
en-. We have been afraid TO risk it in specu
70. ton, and have been thinking. seeming
oy. that what We had would suilice for
of time. AS consequence, we have II
'te- leoted systematically to lift our city out
md the mud, and continued to present to
citizen and stranger ragged, dirty and
inviting appearance. We can cite do.
sr- or more cases where the failure to
md prove this city properly has driven aw
,ns large amounts of capital and numbers
nd people that otherwise would to-day h,
on been swelling tho wealth, populate
'RH and prosperity Of Dallas. This
sla- no idle or sensational statemc
ian To cause such things is