San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-22
SHORT STOPS.
What the People are Saying.

What the People are Saying.
There is no excuse for the profit
gate, wholesale granting of street
railroad franchises by the Callaghan
| administration. In the first place,
/ the narrow streets concentrating in
the business center, should have been
reserved from such franchises; and In
the next place, the granting Of such
franchises over our narrow streets
amounts to a monopoly, as one line
excludes all others, and these fran
chises are the most valuable part of
the property of these railroads.
II not done away with, there is on
proposition made by Col. Belknap, to
extend his lines whenever demanded,
and to pay to the city certain per
cent of the gross receipts of his extern.
sions for the franchises granted.
Had the proposition of Col. Belknap
been adopted as a basis of action, all
the franchises granted would be
yielding q revenue to the city and re-
turning something for the expense
these lines ntail upon the city.
Lines TO suburban additions should
be treated literally in proportion az
the public is treated literally. These
lines are valuable in supplying trans
portation to suburban property and
their construction enables real estate
spectators to dispose of their plants.
The people manage to get along
well enough now, but let US have
so 900 more people and our narrow
streets, remain choked up with cleo
trio railways; the people will be
forced to move or the railroads.
Soledad street is completely chOked
up; Commerce street is headed off of
Main square in a way that is at pres.
ent dangerous nuisance. Lines
have been put down on every paral-
lei street between the river and the
San Pedro creek; every main en-
trance to the public squares has been
monopolized, and the people expect
nothing else than some fine morning
to find Commerce street, (the little
that is left of it) and market steret
torn up and railroad in the process
of construction.
1t is a suicidal policy for men who
have large interests in realty: whose
realty is only valuable because we
have population and business pros
perity, to permit the avenues of trade
and travel to be seriously obstruct-
ed; business lie done in all CONNER
cial centers on foot and upon wheels.
1t is unwiss for capitalists and cor
pora tions to attempt to play the hog,
and to use the municipal government
to pile up their fortunes. 1t is best to
build up the prosperity of the whole
community, then all interests grow
equally.
1t is the rabing character of mon
led monopolies, OF corporate compan-
les that supply the people with water,
light and transportation, that has
given rise to the demand that the
government, local and national take
charge of all enterprises OF this ma
ture for the protection and benefit
| of the people. Men are blind to the
inevitable tendency of public deter
mination who act on the principle
that they only need to own the may
or and city council to make them
solid
The people own the ballot. box, and
however ignorant the masses may be
thought to be, or however subject to
corrupt influences, the process of edu.
cation, the conviction that they are
being imposed upon, will cause them
to take retribution in their own hands
sooner or later.
The disclosure made in the butcher
| trials, gives impetus TO the demand
for some more efficient and civilized
method of inspection and regulation
of our beef supply. The city admin
istratiOn might exercise its states.
manship in this direction very profit
ably.
| IL IL SITduge tnhb the OUVCn6Ts nave
allowed themselves to be imposed on
so long; evidently they considered
the tees they paid tor inspection, 8
sort of blackmail levied on them by
the market master and his assis tants
| The ordinance regulating the
slaughter OF cattle and sale of meat
as we'll as the tax imposed on thi,
useful and necessary occupation
should be Immediately revised
Butchers should pay a reasonable
occupation tax; and should pay it t
the city collector.