Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-10

that of the Bond Commission.
We undertake to say that if the bitter
est enemies of the city had set about to
devise a scheme to crush out enterprislng
spirit and discourage and kill off the reso-
luton to improve our streets, they could
not have evolved better means than has
been employed, unwittingly perhaps, un-
wise beyond question, by citizens and pub
lie influences that are supposed to have
the best interests of the city at heart, but
whose misdirected zeal has resulted dis
astrously to the interests of the people at
large, and suggested the suspicion that
that result may have been intended from
the beginning by nonresident creditors of
the city.
Sacramento never was in better posi-
ton than that of month ago to make a
long step forward. The people were ready
for it: company of public-spirited citizens
had formed to secure to the people neces-
sary street improvement at the lowest pos
sible cost. The resolution to make our
streets fine highways had been taken,
everyone thought, irrevocably. Public
meetings were held and enthusiastically
carried on; indeed, there was actual and
most gratifying strife as to which highways
should first be made passable to the east
and the north boundaries of the city.
Everything was moving forward with as
clear and strong assurance of success as
was ever given to any public movement.
The only things that stayed the feet of pro-
gress were the meteorological conditions
and the desire of the people in new i'm
provements to escape the rapacity of the
rings that have controlled street work and
made it cost in the past about twice what
1t should. To meet this difficulty num-
Der of citizens came forward and put up
S26, 900 capital and formed the company
referred to, through which street work
could be done at greatly reduced figures,
and the full benefits of concerted efforts be
secured to every property-owner. These
citizens asked no return upon their invest
ment, no reward for personal labor, but
were willing to buy machinery and appli-
ances to enable street work to be done by
wholesale and at remarkably low figures,
and they did not even ask interest upon
the investment.
AT this juncture the devil put it into
the heart of some one to suggest that it
was good time to make the bond ques-
tlon cut some figure in the case. The
proposition that the city at large should
pay the cost of street work to the extent of
a sum equal to the cost of constructing in
tersections, proposition wise and rightly
advised, appears to have loosed the bolts
of casket of curses and sent them whirl-
ing through the municipal air. Some one
added to the misery of the hour by asking
why the city should not pay all the cost.
Another proposed to borrow the necessary
money for the city's share from the Bond
Commissioners. Public intelligences that
ought to have had more wisdom than to
stir up the hornets nest that the opening
of the bond question always develops, be-
gan to whelm the city in debate of how
to get and how 20 use the money of the
Commission. Then followed long and in
volyed explanations of the condition of
the city debt, how it could be paid, how it
could be extended, by what means the
funds of the Commission
could be got at, and so on, until the public
mind was bewildered and befogged and
disgusted. Men talked of it in market
places and on the street corners, and the
more they debated the more confused they
became. The Commission came forward
with statement of the terms on which it
would lend money. These terms were
taken up and debated, and amendments
suggested and threatened, until the talk
ran in The direction of compelling the
Commission to do something it declared it
would not do. This insanity was supple
mented by chatter about abolishing the
Commission, when half a gill of sense
should teach any one that the city has no
power to abolish the Commission even if it
were advisable to do so. Meetings were
held, and instead of discussing the best
and speediest methods Of getting to
work. on the streets, the long weary
hours were worn away in discussion of the
value of bond in futurity, and in the
vain effort to find an unknown quantity
by the algebraic processes of people who
told each other that they did not know
what they were talking about and gener-
ally the expression was justified.
Whereas at one meeting of I-street prop
the Courthouse was crowded
but recently and enthusiasm for improve
ment ruled the hour, and the unanimous
sentiment was that the street must be i'm
prored, after the pestiferous bond ques-
tion was lugged into public thought and
debate, and the people had been tangled
up by propositions how to improve and
make somebody else foot the bill, second
meeting for the same street drew out
dozen people-several of them opposing any
at ALL But bare majority
was finally induced to reluctantly consent
to makeshift device for a seryiceable
roadway, and that was the end of improve
ment on that street, for no one is now so
foolish as to expect TO ever hear of the
proposition to properly improve the street,
again.
Let the people understand that the sur
est way to kill off local energy is TO de-
stroy self-reliance, and therefore self.help-
fulness, by educating the community that
someone else should do the duty the peo-
pie are themselves charged with. 4
month ago the citizens of Sacramento
were prepared and willing on many streets
to improve by beginning to improve. With
II J Z l. II