San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-21
SHORT STOPS.
what the People are Saying

What the People are Saying
The people have discussed the con-
stitutional amendments with more
zeal since the election than before the
vote was taken. The next thing is TO
secure intelligent legislation upon
the amendments.
The registration section affects only
cities of 10000 and over, inhabitants,
the law will only opel ate in about
dozen cities, and it should be an easy
! work to secure in connection with
registration a guarded system of bal
loting, similar TO the Australian sys-
tenn.
Registration of itself will not reach
the abuses practiced in our city. 1t
| will be just as easy to register the
| Mexican alien vote as it is now to fur
| nish them with citizen papers. And
| il will be very convenient to secure
| supply of registered Mexican voters,
and on election day produce the Mex
leans to answer to the names on the
registration lists.
The registration provisions must be
so drawn as to prevent fraud, as far as
possible.
A bad government has It's birth in
the corruption of the ballot box. No
wonder our local administration of
affairs Ia marked by recklesspess, eX
trax rH
for intelligent public opinion, when
the officials know that they hold their
places by reason of large purchase
BILE element, who neither know nor
care anything about the object they
are voting for.
Surround the ballot box with such
guards that it can only be approach
cd by voters who must exercise some
intelligence, some manhood, some in
dependence in order to cast their
votes, and long step has been TAX
en- towards eliminating the curse of
our electi ons.
Officials elected by the int lligent
choice of the legal voters of the COM
munity will feel direct responsible |
ty to the people in the exercise of
their duties.
Party action will become healthy,
once tnat intelligence and genuine
citizenship predominant at the ballot
box.
The .heat of the summer season
seems to have wiltod much of the
accustomed energy of our city. 1t
will take anoth or $3.50, 900 loan propo-
sitlon to awaken them.
Questions that were postponed
years ago because there did not seem
to be a clear solution, have been
solved. The river has not run dry,
on the contrary the very bowels of
the earth have been tapped and
al abundant supply of splendid
water obtained. The city can run it's
own water works very conveniently
and cheaply. 1t was wise vote that
showed the water works proposition
made by Mr.. Callaghan.
The people will demand In the near
future that the city own and operate
a water works system that will sup
ply water at q minimum cost to con-
sumers.
No longer does the water supply
q lestiou stand in the way of the
building of a sewer system. a city
of $4,000 people cannot long avoid
this necessity.
We can have natural perpetual
fountains playing in every square at
cost within the reach of the city
administration by the geysers re.
Gently obtained.
But the people want nothing until
they have different set of public
servants to administer their public
business.
The people want mayor and city
attorney and city councilmen who
Will stay at their posts of duty
both winter and summer; who
will bear with them the summer heat
and cheer them through the dull
season, by schemes of economy and
care.
a public office is not a pleasure
bout-a round of fishing and hunting
expeditions; tours over the world,
and the subversion of the public trust
to private interests. The people are
tired of this thing.