San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-01-19
KICKING AGAINST CACTUS.

was hard for him to 'kick against the
= "pricks." Had he lived in Texas the
formula might have been, "kicking
against cactus" Neither of these
exercises are such as a man bent on
enjoyment would be very likely to in
dulge in to any considerable extent;
yet, both are every way preferable to
the everlasting monotony and I'M
avaIllng agony ofkicking against this
present municipal administration.
Nothing but a stern sense of duty to
the public, the consciousness that only
by the most persistent condemnation
of the present disgraceful city regime
can any change for the better be eff
fected, nothing but this would have
induced the citizens of this city to
keep up perpetual growl through
the columns of the daily press against
the existing order, or more correctly
speaking, disorder of things. Kick
ing at best is but thankless task,
and no one cares to be committed to it
as a steady diet, month in and month
out. But what available alternative
presents itself? The American CONT
nent does not presenta spectacle equal
to that presented by the streets
and alleys of this city, in any other
city of like size and population. To
say that this is unavoidable is nom
sense. To say that the remedy is not
already within the hands of the city
council, and has been for many
months and years, is to say what is
not susceptible of proof. RemOn-
STRANGE seems to be utterly useless.
Petitions are presented only to be pig
eonholed, and there is such sublime
Indifference to the wants, wishes,
comforts, conveniencies and legal |
rights of citizens as has not been seen
in any city on this continent since |
sanitary science was known, munich /
pal councils organized, and sidewalk |
ordinances passed. One would mag
inc that the city council was the own
or of all it surveyed, utterly irrespon-
sible to the citizens whose servant it
legitimately is, and in no sense bound
to carry out the plain directions of the
charter and the ordinances in the
management of the city business and
in providing for the safety and COM
fort of the citizens whose taxes are
paid to no good end, and who would
be better cared for were council and
mayor both everlastingly swallowed
up in the bottOmless mire which
stands over three-fourths of this cor
pOratiOn today, black and unim-
peachable witness against the fearful
inaction and dumb insensibility of the
city government as at present mal-ad-
ministered.
Reports called for sUatedly of the
financial condition of the city are not
made, and the people left in ignorance
of that which under the plain provi-
siOns of the charter they should know,
make complaint through the city Jour-
mails, and the kick is made, but made
to no result, as the inattentiOn goes on
all the same, and you might
as we'll kick against cactus
for all the good it does.
Sidewalk ordinances are violated
every day and children and delicate
women wade ankle deep in mud along
the busiest thOrOughiares. The APP
prOaches to the public school build
ings are shoe deep in Shiny, sticky,
mud, and the pupils come
into the school rooms of this import
ant city as though they had been !
in a bog. The complaint
as usual is carried to the public prints,
the newspaper kicks against cactus
council, and what good does it do?
Farmers and VeUetahle oar1eners and
driving to town are stalled
with their teams i'll the main streets
of the city leading into the country, /
their wagons break down or they have
to abandon them, and again the COM
plant comes to the newspapers. The
regulation kick is made as usual and
as usual there is no redress, no notice
taken, no improvement made on the
streets or the faintest sign given that %
the kick has done more than prick
itself against a cactus. This thing
grows monOtOnOus. Changes are de
manded and the time for change has
come. San Antonio has about ex-
hausted its patience kicking against
a cactus council. There is no profit in
it, no fun and no variety. The whole
movement of city affairs is drOnish,
stupid, dull, utterly unmeet for this
present. San Antonio is no longer a
Mexican village with the wild cactus I
growing in her public thOrOuShfares.
She claims metropolitan Importance
and must put on metropolitan pro-
gress and make metrOpolit9 Il improve
ments. 1t is as necessary to cut the
cactus grOwths out of the heads of her
council az To ol9t her caotuS DlantS ont |