The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-01-31
PUBLIC ENTERPRISES.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations
has found the census reports in such an unsat-
isfactory condition that it has refused to
recommend appropriations OF any amount
greater than is barely sufficient to maintain the
bureau, and information from Washington
leads one to infer that bill will soon be in
troduced to provide for the curtailing OF the
work of compiling and publishing to limits
never contemplated by Soloman and his army
of statisticians. The confused work OF the
bureau may be considered one of many proofs
of the old assertion that everyone's business is
nobody's business. The taking of the census
was begun under the most favorable auspices;
money was not wanting, scientists OF world
wide reputation offered their services, and an
enquiring people promised every assistance
needed. While the work progressed interest
in it grew more intense and eventually the
eyes Of the world were turned toward 1t to as
certain the many valuable truths it was to
divulge for the guidance OF not one people
alone but the entire civilized population
of the globe. The result is a
partial failure 1t entailed an ex-
penditure OF money and of time for which
we are told we shall receive no compromising
knowledge. But our pecuniary expense sinks
into insignifcance when we consider the loss
of the data for which nations eagerly waited.
Why our efforts were unsuccessful is ques-
ton difficult of solution. No charge OF in
competency has been brought against the men
who managed the work; no one has declared
that any one thing was left undone which
should have been done. But probably this
absence of proofs of want OF proper manage
ment is due to the fact that all errors in the
work were so slight, were deemed SO unim-
portant of character when discovered, that
they were scarcely needed at first and subse-
uuently, when their great number was appre-
hended, were hidden by the minor officials
responsible for them for the purpose of pre-
venting the melting out of the punishment by
discharge which would have followed any hint
on the subject to the bureau chiefs. And all
government work is done Just as
this was done. No matter which Of
the two great paIties is in power, no
matter who the controlling spirits are, there
is always delay over technical questions,
wrangling, charges and counter charges and
an expenditure of vast amount of money for
which no proportionate benefit is received.
fake for instance the erection OF public
building. The proposition for one is dis
cussed for months, perhaps years; then, after
the corner stone has been laid amid many
demonstrations Of public appreciation, some
one whispers that the bill providing for the
work was "lobbied" through, that the work
itself is a lob" that a "ring" has been
formed and its members are living luxuriously
by means Of money collected from the down
trodden laboring classes; eventually opera
tons on the building are suspended pending
: an investigation which is terminated by wha
the newspapers subsequently style, g;
= whitewashing of all the persons implicated,
{ and, thus the performance is continued
Al indefinitely till patience becomes exhausted
&c and the public are satisfied if they live till tn
l. roof is put on. A comparison of such enter
prises as this with those of private individual
n makes one wonder that we allow such differ
re ence OF methods. But what recourse hav
lie we? II there be one the LIGHT has not hear
lie oft. True, occasionally contractors are pun
III ished for not discharging their obligations
u members of "rings" imprisoned or fined fC
being corrupt, but the evils of which we com
gs plain remain, and until we change our Who'll
ry system Of government we shall in all proba
BY bility never be freed Of them.
a THE Galveston Daily Print is authority fc
g the statement that Ben Thompson is to ope
- detective agency in Austin.
llr A movement is on foot in Galveston to ere
Ter cheap boarding-houses for the newsboY
s;. bootblacks and street urchins. The me
chants have been appealed to and are respon,
hs ing very literally. This is an excellent thin
no and something of a like nature should be u
Try dertaken here Houston Post.
III, San Antonio has the necessaries to sta
to such an institution, with the exception Of t
literally responding merchants.