San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-03-18
SOME MORE OF 1T.
ANY Amount of Slush Is In Order
Blunt" Takes "Mathetes" to Task.

Blunt" Takes 'NIathetes' to Task.
Editor San Antonio Light.
A correspondent, signing himself or
herself "Mathetes," attempts to say
something about the sewer question In
recent issue of your paper. and also to
enter up an apology for that little
printing job" dished out by the Mayor
and City Council. 1t is hardly worth re-
plying to, being too soft to resist Wig
orous blow, but since 1t reads a good deal
like an editorial in the subsidized organ
of the present city administration, it may
be excusable to notice, passing way,
some Of the apologies made.
So far as the sewer proposition is con-
cerned, it Is as dead rs Caesar, but it is q
shame that so important q question
should have been sacrificed, either
through the Ignorance or the duplicity Of
the gentlemen who are running the city
government. EX-MaN or French was the
mover of the sewer farm proposition,
and it would be no compliment
to that gentleman to say he was
ignorant OF the effect OF his
motion, if adopted; he knew il would
secure the defeat of the sewer PROPOSE
ton and add another TO the list Of blum
ders and failures of the present admins
TRITON and bring his own past admins
tration into more favorable contrast be-
fore the people; and thus seeming to
lead in the effort to secure sewers there
by satisfying the friends Of the measure,
he gave it the death-stop. His Honor,
the Mayor, having been born and reared
in a sewerless town, is naturally averse
to the measure. but when it comes to
the test, failed to place himself on record
in a way that would satisfy the public rs
to his real position, and so it happens,
his more crafty opponent fastens on him
worst failure of his administration as
the refusal of the people to vote the
sewer farm proposition will be construed
as vote of want of confidence in Mayor
Callaghan.
AS to the idea of compelling Cclonel
Breckenridge to agree TO flush the sew
ers free of charge for 10 years before
voting for the proposition | think needs
no attention. Colone &. like Davy
Crockett's coon, will either have to come
down of his own accord, or be brought
down by a we'll detectes, shot from the
municipal blunderers-he'l come down
gracefully whenever the sewer PROPOSE
ton is voted for in connection with u
provision to build separate water-works,
if necessary, to flush the sewers but the
sewer farm nonsense places the water
question on dry ground, for the present,
Ut least.
The plea OF "Mathetes' that the
Mayor and City Council should be con-
sidered above criticism, and that they
represent our citizens Intellectually and
morally, is too silly for serious reply.
The people must suffer for their mis-
takes. but do not add insults TO injury by
holding them responsible for the acts of
their servants who have grown too big
for their qualities" may as well
say the good people of New York
because some of their Aldermen turned
out so, as to say the good people of San
Antonio are all candidates for the Office
Of Mayor, and hence you must not stick
pin into their pretentious ambition or
criticise their acts. The thoroughly
good man and public servant grows
healthy and strong on public criticism,
the weak and vOssilating go to the wall
it Is the law of the survival OF the
tittest which decides the case.
AS to that "little printing job" ex-
Mayor French, even In the later days of
his administration, after he had fallen
from grace as a deciple of David Davis,
the great Independent, and was working
the Democratic primaries for all they
were worth, would not have been guilty
of 80 barefaced measure to reserve to
his own use and benefit city patronage,
as disclosed in this little printing job.
Although the LIGHT was an open and
persistent opponent of the ex-Mayor he
had too much sense to attempt to take
from the office that had secured
it in a fair competition, or to
evade by any subterfuge the result of
the decision between competitive bid
ders for city work. 1t may look like q
''little affair."" but such little affairs
stamp the seal of public condemnation
more forcibly than do the big thin gs
which are too big to fool with. Had the
mayor and City Council, instead of ad-
vertising for bids for city printing sim
ply taken a vote who they should give it
and ordered His Honor to have it done
at rate not in excess Of that paid by
our business men for like work, why no
one could have said q word; it would
have been bold and manly way to have
disposed of its sop; but to advertise for
bids and then to keep back large share
from the view of the bidders and then to
make the innocent City Clerk the scape-
goat land how the poor fellow blushed
to the very tip of his clerical nose) is too
much for honest, fair-dealing, Justice
loving people to put up with, and the
query is becoming general whether all
the city business is not carried on in the
same way. Our City Council should
have been smart enough not to monkey
with printers ink; they share the r. :
sponsibility of this 'little job"
BLUNT.