Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1885-03-19
The City Situation.

10 THE ED1ToR:-The writer has no in.
terest whatever in the political aspe 4 of
the approaching city campaign, NOR in
the men who may stand for the various
offices. Neither am ! IN sympathy with
the indiscriminate and unreasonipg At
tacks that are being made on present city
officers and prospective candidates. In
my opinion the affairs Of our city have
been as well managed as would expect
my own business to be, were to leave
the selection of my employees to some
disinterested party aud then turn the bus
mess over wholly to the employees 90 se-
lected, seldom or never going nesr them
to see how the work was being done.
l therefore address you, and through
Jou the reading public, not to criticise
our present city officers, neither IN the in.
terest OF nor to prejudice the chances Of
any aspiring candidate, but as private
citizen and tax payer of this city, inter-
ested In its welfare and anxious during
these financially strained times to keep
our municipal expenses as small q good
government and reasonable progress and
development will permit. approve Of
an econ 'mical system of water works, Of
gas light if it is practicable, OF street i'm
provements, of thorough and efficient
scavenger system, that shall cleanse and
purify every street, alley, public COM
mons or private yard in our city, regard
less Of the cost. approve of . liquor H.
cense fixed at point that shall not be
oppressive, and that Will permit respecta-
BILE and respected business men who may
desire to do so to conduct this business in
respectable way but would like to zee
these licenses sold at figure that would
protect such men as mention from the
competition and the city from the dis.
grace of the back alley, all night hell
holes, If there are such.
With this preface permit me to aug
gest that in many OF the large and small
cities of the land, much good is being &C :.
complushed by organizations known as
'tax payers unions,' .scitizens commit
tees;' COMMITTEE of one hundfed," and
other like expressive titles. These or.
carnations should not be made up in the
interest of any man, faction OF political
party. nor t, serve any private end. They
are and must be constructe 70 secure
simply an organized and effective watch
upon public affairs. To devise and re
commend needed Improvements, to en-
courage development and to discover and
dlscoura age needless and extravagant ex-
penditure of public funds and, II neces-
sary, to unearth and punish any public
servant guilty of misappropriating or
wasting public revenue. Every man Who
pays any tax should be eligible 70 mem
bership and invited to join and from the
membership should be created . central
committee so large and 90 we'll chosea q
to prevent the possibility Of its bsiag m
fluenced by party prejudices. facsiaael
strlfts or individual preferences. A cun-
mittee so formed, that wlll sxamfne he
revenue, scrutinize the disbuneneats,
watch the lndivld ual officers ard ropcet
results 20 Its creators. tAe mas q az
payers, is soon clothed with alasst ja1jcial
powers. It becomes audisee u pahllc
accounts, the guardian of lie publss passs,
the adviser and tutor Of bosA sapleysf
and employed while The powsf se ~
backing becomes tsrfof . Evil doon.
Qusey-Is Jaaessows rsa1y - -
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