San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-10-31
LETTERS OF A GERMAN AMERI-
CAN CITIZEN.
No q.

signed Anxious" the lather talked me as
a green fellow. He says my humor and
wit disappoints him. didn't know had
any humor and wit and am very sorry
about mis- disappointment. Than he says
that | am sure enough a green fellow.
He is perfectly right. Sometimes | think
that | know every political trick, there,
another new highhanded, INSCRIPTIONS
trick of the ring, composed of Mr.. Cal
laghan, Thad Smith and CaSianO, turns
ny, and | have to admit, that | am
still very green in politics. Next he
says. that | have bitter feeling
against Mr.. Callaghan. That is correct.
| have the satisfaction. that nearly all
our best citizens and taxpayers OF this
city, have the same feelings toward Mr..
Callaghan. WHY'S fully explained be-
low. Next he says that Mr.. Callaghan is
the most abused man in the city. That is
correct. But who's fault is that? Nobody:
else but Mr.. Callaghan himself. If he Mad
acted as the agent of the people and not
as their boss, if he had spend the peoples
money in wise and economical way and
not in such reckless, eXtraVagant manner
no man or no citizen would ever abuse Mr..
Callaghan.-NeXth he tackles the moss
backs in our city. Its true, we have some
mOSSbackS in our city. but the majority OF
our citizens are liberal. public-Spirited
Illtl anu are dllN avs ltdNS W give NbllG
of their wealth to improve our city. They
have done so to Mr. Cdllaghan and only
the reckless way in which heidi spend
thCirmoney, has forced them to not
voting for any more money to him.
lfthe citizens wouldn't have been on their
guard. we would have today instead two
millions. five million dollar Indebtedness.
What Mr.. Anxious says about Commerce
and Houston streets is correct. About
l, do, ln ~ n.,,, lni, hot
not so high as given by me. In regard of
this say, that neither he, nor |, nor Mr..
Calagham himself, can give the correct
indebtedness of our city at the'preSent
time, in dollars and cents. He also says,
that | can not prove that the city public
improvements could have been executed
for half the actual sum of money paid for
them. That is just what | can and will
prove. ] wish Mr.. AmicuS would take a
pencil and sheet of paper and put down
the figures.
First we tackle the city hall 1.-THE sum
contracted for was SllSOOO The cDntrac
tor commenced and when little over half
the city hall was built up. he said he
would quit. Now, if Mr. Callaghan would
have been the right man on the right
place and had only little the interest of
the taxpayers at heart he would have
said To the contractor: You have con.
tracted to build the city hall and |, as
agent of the taxpayers, will force you to
do it or force your bOndSmen to finish the
city hall" Did he do it? No. He re-
liGVed the contractor. which right he had
not. II any citizen ask Callaghan man,
what sum, above the contract sum, was
necessary to finish the city hall, he will
will answer. On, | think-abOut 10000.
Up TO last year the warrants drawn upon
the city treasurer aud charged to the
city hall fund. amounted to POS, O6j dol
lars. Marx down the difference
Some three ago Mr.. CalIaghan acked
the taxpayers to vote 100000 dollars and
he promised. that he would spend that
sum for grading and matchmaking 43
miles of streets within the city. He got
the 25O,OOO dollars. Only IS miles of this
43 miles has been done, and some of the
streets have been only dug up and left in
an nearly impossible condition Where is
the money? Please marx that down.
Years ago, Mr.. CalIaghan wanted from
the taxpayers 5000 dollars to build car
bage furnaces. He claimed it was neCeS-
AIRY thing to have. The taxpayers ad-
mitted that and gave him the 5000 dol
lars. Mr.. Callaghan went north to inspect
some Garbage furnaces already in use.
Mr.. Kaltever, as one of our aldermen
went north to do the same. Mr.. Kramer,
the architCCkt, was sent to the north so
that he cOnld make plans of garbage
furnace. and-and-here we are. Three
years have passed since all that travel
ing and not a sign of that necessary car
bage furnace can be seen. Where is the
money? Don't forget to mark that down.
Mr.. Callaghan wanted from the tax
payers 100000 dollars for building bridges
over the river. The taxpayers, this all
ways ready to give taxpayers, gave him
the 100000 dollars. Now let us take St.
Mary'S street bridge. This bridge has
span of % feet, roadway 30 feet, and side
walks. Any bridge company would call
such bridge as st. Mary,S street bridge.
"a common country high truss iron
bridge" 1t is the cheapest kind of iron
bridges. Mr.. Callaghan contracted for
this bridge two years ago, for the sum OF
1000 dollars. The Houston street bridge
is exactly the same kind of bridge as the
St. Mary street bridge, only the painting
and names in letters OF gold. is the differ
ence, this Houston street bridge was con-
traCtod for by the city in the year 1882 for
the sum of S,545 dOilarS.-Nuw, since 1882
every bridge company went down with
their prices, and only as an example |
will state, that the county court
on the recommendation OF the county en-
g ineer, Mr.. Locke, who is an honest man,
made u contract with the king bridge |
company, to build "a common country
high trust iron bridge over the SdladO,
span so feet, roadway Is feet, no sidewalk, |
for the sum of S3,77O. Any bridge com
pany would make money by building such |
bridges as St. Mary'S street bridge for |
half the sum paid for. What had TO say |
abOnt st. Mary'S street bridge. the same |
say about the other new bridges. Please |
mark that down
Now to the mesquite block pavements.1
Plans and specifications were made and |
advertised A contractor Of our city, d |
friend of our mayor, did bid on |
same, also a firm from Dallas. who was
one third lower than the contractor OF |
our city. The gentlemen from San An |
tonic got the work. Now Mr.. Anxious |
you will say, that the contractor from our |
city did not get one half, but only one |
third more. Stop, wait a little! The |
after having done some pave
ing, was allowed to use the cheaper round |
hlockS instaad Of the more expensive and |