The record-union., 1893-05-31
4 Commlttee Experlence.

u 0DLnlhiktGG EADeTA6HGes
EDS. REcoRD-UNIoN: I have read
with pleasure and prefit the Chapter OF
Local improvements in your issue ol
Tuesday.
l am reminded of some personal expert
ences lately undergone and still vividly
fresh in my mind, " hich it may interest,"
your patrons to read. Believe ME they
are actual uncolored facts.
'All cities that grew out of little oI
nothing. did 50 merely by the public
mindedness of the citizens" said the
RECORD UNION. Exactly. So that when
/ was appointed ward committeeman
to canvass Tor signatures to the fac
tory fund notes l started out, and
believing as you quote, that there
is no evil, no crime so great as thai
of being cold in matters which relate To
the common good" l made up my mind
to do my duty to the best of my ability.
The first place visited was a grocery
store and the proprietor eyed the COM
miJtee SuspiciOusly. suspeetlng, perhaps,
that something other than a desire to
purchase brought US TO his shop. He was
in no hurry to find out our business,
waiting not alone upon those who had
come in before we did but on those alter,
and when the customers were all gone he
busted himself with his counter, then
with his clerk, until the chairman of our
committee gently reminded him that we
were present. Then with WA deyeI
wand?" he eyed our spokesman part OF
the time, and busted himself clearing his
counter the other half.
Before our chairman had fairly started
in to explain our mission, the grocer
stopped him short by got nothen To
Civ; - and on noting that this reply in nc
wise tended to terminate the interview,
the grocer opened his till, and taking out
a qparter threw it down on the counter
in front of the committee.
Our spokesman, nothing daunted, kept on
in his efforts by beginning over again aud
making our appeal so plain that this time
the otherwise 100 pounds OF concen-
trated stupidity began to comprehend
what was wanted of him, and as soon as
he did he repeatedly kept saying: 81
doan sign, see?" and in order to empha-
size his decision as being final, he kept
an unrhythmic time by occasionally slap
ping his huge unwashed paw on his
counter, mo, / doan sign"
The next place we visited we were cor
daily received, and were informed that
the party had already signed. In the
third place the signature of the proprie-
tor and one ofhis workmen was obtained
The fourth place the party claimed that
he was willing to sign, provided we in
serted half dozen IFS" which this party
welllknew We could not.
The fifth party the committee met on
the street and. after listening to our state
meut. said: "My dear friends, l am Sc
sorry that I am unable to sign. l should
like to ever so much, but l am so very,
very poor. have hardly enough to pay
my taxes and have hard time of it IN
Just earning enough TO live"
Tho sixth party signed promptly and
apologized to the committee in not haV-
ing signed before. saying he believed il
was his duty to help the city in her strug-
gle for supremacy. Incidentally he ask ed
Us if we had obtained the signature Of the
last party with whom ne saw US talking.
We told him, the result of our experience
with him that bis extreme poverty pre-
vented him from signing. He is a liar
OF the first water" said number six.
Number five is worth more cash, mort
cages and real estate than l am at least
nve times over again. Go tell him l said
he is liar"
The seventh believed the work in hand
to be just what would do Sacramento
most lasting good. He believed in il,
but could not sign note; no, he had
never signed and would not do so now,
He would give, "Oh, yes; I'll give 500"
When mildly told the notes were issued on
sn equitable basis, according 10 the as
sessment-roll, hence no donation scould
be received for less amount from any
one on the tax list, and that his amount
would be 500 per year, which for four
years would be $500 and that we could
not accept his SlO0 in place OF the $500, he
said, ION, well, you had better accept
that than nothing, hadn't your" "How
can we when it would be q rank iuius-
tice to the man taxed for a similar
amount whose signature we had OBJ
tanned under the condition that all tax
PAYERS signing would be placed under
an obligation on an equitable basis ?"
"Take that or nothing" said number
seven gliding swiftly away.
That man only sought lying pretext
when he offered you Sl00." So said u
bvstander Ia reputable CITIZEN, who hav-
inc overheard our conversation and
added. .'That man would never give YOU
SlOO. nor $50. nor SIS for the good OF any
cause. Try him now; 60 after him and
ask him TOR the 500 which he offered;
Won will see | am not mistaken: he only
offered YOU the 500 when he knew there
was a certainty of your not accepting it,
"Can the man be so blind 10 his own in
terest as to jeopardize mode OF proceed
ure that must enhance the value of his
property greatly? ," was asked. No;
that man is a shrewd fox and wolf be-
sides. lie knows the advantages likely
to accrue 10 him by this effort, but he be-
lieves that he can reap all the advantages
and let the others. who will, pay Tor 1t.
Infamous Why such men are OF nc
value TO 4 community"
lie was right. They are not OF value
Day, moro than that, they are draw