Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-06-25
THE NEW CRY COUNCIL.

THE NEW CITY COUNCIL.
Next week the new councilmen assume |
the duty Of ieglslating for the interest Of
their city. Three.fourths Of them are new
to the duties, and for that reason more than |
usual interest has been expressed as to
their action. There is no other reason for
any extra interest they are men ofrespect-
ability, Intelligence and integrity; they are
are as much interested in the welfare OF
their city as any of us, and some of them,
in point of material interests. more so;
they are as much interested in providing
for an orderly city through the means of
respectable and efficient police, and they are
as deeply concerned in providing tho city
government throughout with officials OF
competent qualifications and respectable
standing as any of us. In fact they are
more so, for they are responsible indivldu-
ally, and it is to them that the people
look for city government as efficient ana
respectable and as acceptable to the cltl-
zens as that provided by their predecAs-
sors We are among those who confident.
ly expect we shall get il. There is some
else that we shall expect of them. The
duties of councilman, as they WILL ind
after the novelty wears off. are boring,
vexatious and unthankful. For twenty
years there has hardly been a council
which has no. changed, sometimes mate
rally and injuriously changed, by resigna-
tions and filling vacancies before its two
years were out. We have seen council
here that tefore the first year.had expired,
was nearly half filled by men who had
never been chosen by the people, and who
never during t cir whole term OF service
learned that they were responsible to the
people. We shall expect of this council
that they baye The patience to remain in
the places to which the people have elect
ed them, and become familiar with the
duties. We have no fear of their not
making good city legislators after that.
Another thing-and in this we think the
few experienced councilmen who are in
the new body will bear US out-some of
the councils who have preceded you did
know something: however little, they at
least knew something. The general i'm
preston with the average new councilman
who, while a private citizen, has Of
ten had to complain of councils, is that
the whole thing can be done BETTER
and that he knows the way. Our
new friends will spend many wear
isome day in discovering that new
way, which is to remedy all the defects in
city management. They will find that
to insure good government it ism It abso
lutely necessary to kick the old one to
splinters. Let your motto be Ego slow"
at first.
In the practical matters of legislation we
hope to find the new Council more to our
mind than many of its predecessors. We
wish to see it exhibit an enterprising spir-
it guided by practical common SENSE
We wish to see the city beautffied and
made more inviting to settlers. We wish
to see better streets, a nice park, a station
house, school houses renovated. altered
and improved, Lewis creek made COW
cred culvert, and other improvements
which can be easily made. We wish to
see the taxes paid by the people expended
judiciously for their benefit and not put
back in the pockets of the real estate
owners, though the very expenditures
which would make that real estate more
valuable have not been made. That is
not economy; that is parsimony. We
should like to see competent city engi-
neer employed. commissioner Of streets,
paid fire department, effective though
it be small. We wish this city govern
ment when it goes out two years from
now, to have dopa luselI credit by leaving
the c't. with high financial credit, d law
abiding. orderly community and an i'm
proved and attractive town, as the monu-
ment of it's work We do not promise
them the plaudits of the people. No Coun-
Gil that we can remember ever got that.
They must. like all their predecessors, expect
to be literally praised in the beginning, lib
orally grumbled at in the middle, and lib
orally damned at the end of their term. But
for all this they can 60 out of Office with
the consciousness of having been faithful
and efficient councilmen. consolation
that many have had before them who re-
ceived neither recompense nor praise for
their work.