Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-06
THE CITY COUNCIL.
The City Hall Bonds Ordinance Waivers
in the Balance-The Speeches.
Action on It Deferred tin the Next Council
Neeting-A Number OF small Improve.
ments 0rdered-officers Reports

The city council came together last
evening IN Adjourned session. There was
q full attendance excepting Aldermen
Clements.
The city hall bonds ordinance came
up first. This ordinance authorizes the
issuance Of seventy-flve bonds OF $1,000
each, payable May /, 1910, with inter
est at 8 per cent, payable semi-annu-
ally; bonds to be designated as city
hall bOnds, and marked seventh series;
interest and sinking fund for the first
six months to be derived from the funds
raised from the sale Of the bonds; the
remainder TO be raised by tax on the
assessable property IN the city; the sink
ing fund to be invested in bonds of Fort
Worth, Texas or the United States.
Mr.. Mes was the first speaker on the
ordnance He was i'll favor of it, but
he was afraid the city script would fall
back to it's eighty cents on the dollar
basis. He thought the passage Of so many
bond ordinances would injure the city 9
standing on the financial market; ana he
did not think the necessity for new hall
was great enough to put this extra ex-
pense upon the taxpayers. He didn't
think the city would be able to carry out
its present contracts il more bonds were
issued, running the issuance up to the
limit allowed under the charter.
Alderman Bailey spoke out boldly
in favor = OF the issuance of
the bonds. He said the majority
OF the taxpayers conceded the advis-
ability and necessity Of the structure and
were willing TO bear the expense; at any
rate, he could aver the entire progress
sive element Has IN favor of it. And it
was not fact that the city could not
carry out its present contracts for i'm
provements if these bonds were issued,
for some Of the most important contracts
now let did not call for the payment Of
dollar until completion of work, which
would not be for over year, thus allow
ing time for the reassessInent Of prop
erty, raising the city's valuation TO the
neighbCrhood Of $50 600 900, and
permitting the issuance OF further
bonds, so that the improvements now
contemplated and under way could be
carried out and other ones inaugurated.
Progressive men in the city had come
forward and subscribed literally toward
bonuses and other Inducements to indus
trial enterprises to come to Fort Worth
to locate in order that the values Of
property in the city might be enhanced;
other people had held back, waiting for
the city TO grow up around them, and
taking advantage Of the increased values
induced by other peoples exertions and
liberulity. Now, the speaker thought 1t
was time the city came into step with the
Chamberlin5 and the Averys and
the North Fort Worth people and the
Others who he'd put down their good
money that the whole city might be
benefited. The improvements inaugu-
rated by outside capitalists in Fort
Worth during the past sixty days have IN
! creased the value of property in the city
all the way from 80 to 100 per cent, and
the building Of the city hall would have
q like effect. Mr.. Bailey called atten-
ton TO the squalid joint in which the
council were then sitting, surrounded
by filth, broken furniture, rats
| and foul smell. He called attention to
the big expenditure of money and the
vast Inconvenience caused by having the
| offices of the different city officials
! located in widely separated parts OF the
| CITY, and said the saving in rental would
| go long way toward paying the interest
! and sinking fund proposed to be assumed
bV the issuance of the city hall bonds.
When strangers came to the city they in
! ouired first thing, "Where is your city
! building?' and what had we to show
! them? The city hall was public neces-
gity. the expense of which would not be
considered a burden by the Taxpayers;
and the citizens who paid the most taxes
were the ones most anxious to have the
! hall built.
/ 10 faU a.
marks about the mossback and the chron-
ic grumbIers who he declared, had never
! built a city, and who were constantly
placing obstacles in the way Of their own
| advancement The city had reached
! point where, with the outside assistance
! that had been brought in, all that was
| necessary was little push from the cit
| liens, when she would spring up TO an
active, irresistible progress.
Mr.. Haymaker replied. He said he
had seen Mr.. Bailey looking in his direc-
| ton when he spoke of the mossbacks and
| grumblers, and he submitted the propo-
| sitiou that the mossbackers and grum-
| pliers were very good people in cOmpari-
son with that class Of people who styled
| themselves progressive, but who were IL
reality rather extraVaRant people, plac-
ing out money al random where no re-
| turns ever came from II; COuI 81
which, if pursued long, would
eventually result in the financial ruin Of
the so-called progressist, his defalca'
ton. desertion of family and other dis
astrous occurrences Of enormous atroc-
ity. Then the speaker went on to ex-
main how he thought an extravagan
policy ON the part of the city would bt
as rI,iuous as in the case of the individ-
nal; and he was of the opinion that tht
council had already authorized as large
an Indebtedness as it could bear for {
while.
It was suggested that Col. j. P
Smith, who was present, should b.
heard, which was agreed to, and tht
colonel said:
al have listened to this discussion witt
great interest. A period of progress ha
overtaken the city, and the demands o
the time are for progress motion on tn
mart of the city. A great many new
| t,,;I6iDos ara being nut uD this wear b.