The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-05
THE SITUATION.

The Council having demonstrated
past reformation or redemption that it
is Indifferent to public opinion and OBJ
stinate in it's course, it becomes neces-
sary to make a plain statement of the
situation that the freeholders may find
common ground for concerted action.
BY setting up a board of straw and
obtaining an opinion as to it's illegality,
the finance and ordinance committees
joined in a report to the Council favor
ing the conduct of public improvements
by the employment of a civil engineer.
Such an engineer would act according
to the instructions of that committee of
the Council having charge of each
special class of improvements. If ho
was told to pave a suburban street with
Belgian blocks he would do it. 1t he
was told to extend North Jefferson
street on a dead level to tho city limits
he would do it. Such an engineer would
do as he was told and discreetly shut
his mouth-and eyes.
Thousands of dollars have bcen spent
on streets and sewers, yet there is not
one square of decent street in the CITY
of Roanoke to show for all that money
expended.
That is the result of city improve
ment by Council. Tho city has had
enough OF it. 1t will tolerate no more.
Not a single guarantee has been given
or can be obtained that tho whole $780,
600 asked for streets and sewers will
not be %squandered in the same way.
Not a single argument can be advanced,
not a single fact brought forward, to
show that the granting of that sum will
accomplish a better result.
Every sign points toward a public
disaster If these bonds arc voted for this
Council to spend. Picture the city a
year from now. With the present sys-
TEN, and none other is proposed by
Council, streets will be torn up in every
direction. The street committee is
ready to pave a certain street. The
W committee hasn't got it's
sewers in. There is a wrangle and a
foot race. The public property com
m1ttee wants the engineers services at
the same time the fire and water.
street and sewer committees want him.
Elegant! And the money going like
water, and contracts being handled
and manipulated deftly by people who
are as innocent of those peculiar in
struments as an angel is of sin.
Ih q 4 Io tx,6n ! t1,o 80 =. -.
for. The present Council is, in the
minis of many people, acting with good
intentions, and is, therefore, in the
opinion OF The TINES, fully qualified
with raw material for entering into a
contract for paving the Internal regions,
but not for paving Roanoke.
There is only ono course which is safe.
sound and for the best interests of the
city. That is to vote down tho ordin-
ances on the 18th of March. Thon rally
every energy and every vote to elect a
business Council. When that is done.
rush the bond ordinances. If S3OO, 0
is not enough for streets and sewers,
make it half a million. The freehold
ers will vote any sum needed if assured
that it will be properly expended.
Imagine a Council in which the ma
jority was composed of men of the stamp
of 2. L. Terry, e. H. Stewart, II. II.
Fishburne, James S. Simmons, f. c.
Pechin, A. S. Asberry, DR.. j. A. Gale,
b. L. Greider, j. Allen Watts, w. A.
Glasgow, jr., or twenty others whose
names are on the tongues tip. Does
anyone suppose these men would fritter
away their time on trivialtiesP No,
they would handle the ity's business