The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-04-12
The Proposed Amendments to the
Austin City Charter.
To the Editor of The Statesman:

To the Editor of The Statesman:
There has long existed an earnest
desire on the part of the intelligent
and tax-paying citizens for such
changes in the charter of this city as
experience has proved to be necessary.
The opinion has been, and is, almost
universal among the better class of
citizens that the salaries of city
officials should be reduced, and should
not be absolutely fixed by the charter
but left within certain limits to the
discretion of the city council; that
the mayor should he relieved of hold
ing courts, and that the office of re-
corder should be created for that pur-
pose; that such conditions and influ-
ences should be thrown around the
offices of mayor and aldermen that
these offices would seek the
men, and not the men the offices;
and that, consequently, the
mayor and aldermen would
generally be men who would serve at
the request of their fellow-citiZenS;
whose confidence and esteem they
would possess, on account of their
high standing and business qualifica-
tiOns; that to such men the selection
of city officials could be more safely
entrusted than to the corruptlng in
fluences of municipal elections; that
the disbursement of the city revenues
should be so strictly guarded as to
prevent the possibility of the creation
of any floating debt, the bonded debt
being already sufficiently guarded by
the fact that it can only be increased
by an act of the legislature. or by a
two-thirds vote of the tax payers.
The amendments to the city charter
now before the house are substan-
TALLY the embodiment of the provis-
| ions above recited, and very
large majority of the tax payers
are anxious for the experiment
of city government conducted I'M
der such provisions. A few individu-
ais are personally and pecuniarily in
terested in the defeat of the proposed
amendments, and are resorting to all
the methods of lobbying within their
reach to effect their purpose. Under
these circumstances. will the legisla-
ture refuse to give the desired change
in the management of the city gov
eminent? If any member of the
house has any doubt as to the views
and wishes of the great body of sub
stantial citizens in this matter, let
him reflect that the amended charter
passed the senate unanimously under
the advocacy of Judge Terrell, who.
with residence of nearly thirty
years, knows the wants and wishes of
the citizens of Austin, and
that the changes proposed in
the charter are no new subject,
but have been a matter of more
or less discussion. Let such doubling
member also ask the local representa-.
tives what character of citizens are
represented by the memorials asking
for the passage of the amendments,
and then what class of citizens are
represented by the protest, after the
withdrawal of a number of the best
names originally obtained by misrep-
resentation. May not the citizens of
Austin confidently expect that the
members of the house will refuse to
listen to the little coterie of office
holders, office-seekers, demagogues and
hired help, but will unite with the
local representatives in the passage of
the bill of amendments to the city
charter as it came from the senate, not
permitting amendments having for
their object the defeat of the bill, OF
to nullify any of its principal pro-
visions. TAXPAYER.