San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-26
SHORT STOPS.
What the People are Saying.

What the People are Saying.
Very few persons have have studied
the silver question, and since IL has
been pigeon -holed by the democratic
house, nobody cares to burden their
minds with the discussion; but how
! many intelligent taxpayers of our city
have studied our city financial man
sgement?
A special meeting of the city coun-
Gil was convened the other day, and
in a few minutes the mayor was
| authorized to borrow, on notes bearing
per cent interest, $4,000 per month.
This little job was completed and the
council adjourned and scattered be-
tore Alderman Hoefling could mount
the stairway.
It was godsend to the mayors
| family of official pets, who had been
| without their monthly pap for some
time. And it was q good thing to put
in circulation little money these Gull
| times.
The people naturally inquire what
has become of the S350,000 or more
already paid into the city collector by
the tax payers. Every dollar of it
was swallowed up by that city cor
morapt known as the s A. National
bank, so that when the city came to
paw its employers 1t had to borrow
from the same cormOrant at per
cent.
But after all, this is better than
| making q big bonded debt for current
expenses.
The people are discussing some of
\ the remarkable inconsistencies of our
lefty financial transactions. The city
1 purchased the property of Fire Co.
No. l and gave vendor lien notes;
two OF these notes were paid but
when the third note was presented,
the mayor had the matter referred to
the city attorney for an opinion.
Il
The city attorney gave q correct
opinion to the effect that the city
could not issue evidences of debt eX'
cept as provided in the charter, and
T notes were not authorized in the city
charter. Yet the mayor Is authorized
to borrow $50, 900 per month. on notes
and no such authority exists III the
city charter.
1t depends, evidently, upon who
holds the city notes, if the bank pre-
f sided over by the city treasurer
holds them, they are good; if it is an.
other bank, they are worthless.
Our city floating debt is becoming 8
serious thing to contemplate. We
owe for electric and gas light, alone
! over $50, 600; and by the time Gala
CHAN is ousted we will be involved in
a big floating Indebtedness,
} The decision of the supreme cour
, | of the state in the case of VIM Hoef
, ling & Son, awakens general interest
) The supreme court decides that tn,
, city has no authority for levying oc-
cupation or license tax, outside tb'
occupations and license taxes levied W
the stale.
This decision does not, as reported
said by "a well known member of the
city administration" 'leave the city
IN pretty predicament." 1t simply
puts check upon the reckless, H.
legal methods and legislation of the
Callaghsn administration.
Neither the city charter or the
state law, has stood in the way OF
Mayor CaIlaghan and his faithful ten
aldermen"
The city council has been Iegislat-
ing the edicts of q would. be autocrat
who wants his word to be law regard
less of the plain wording of the city
charter.
| The "well known member Of the
city administration, says: There
has been great deal done for some
years past in the way of public inn
provemeDts, but there Is much more
in this line that is needed, and every
cent that could be raised by taxation
in any form can be put to good use."
The people know, if "WelI Known"
does not, that every dollar expended
for public improvements has been
raised by bonds. and not by Occupa-
ton taxes.
"Well-Known," the people under.
stand, is fictitious parsonage con-
jured to talk through the official Or
gan, the Express, but he ought to
talk more intelligibly.
"Well.Known" tells the public
through the Express that the decision