San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-08-20
A Plea for the Growth and Pro-
gress of San Antonio.

Il
ural advantages in her unsur-
passed climatic conditions and her
abundant supply OF pure water,
but, unhappily she is too much di-
vided on questions affecting her
future growth and provement
for her own welfare. Every Observ-
ing citizen has long ago detected
this senseless and ruinOus divis-
ion on all municipal questions, is
an incubus on the growth and I'M
provement of our fair city, which
must be shaken off.
! Our business men must be guild
ed only by sound business sense
and must scorn to be the tools and
catspaws of contentious local poll
ticians, in the future. 1t is almost
incredible that a business man
can be such a blockhead a S to be-
come the tool and catspaw of a
Shetland pony politician of less
brain power than himself, and
bring this servile disposition into
all municipal questions. But
there are abundant evidence, that
some OF our business men are such
strong partisans of this or that
bob tailed politician, as to echo all
his opinions and to vote just as
they are told to do.
Business men should be aware
that this is progressive age and
that not to move forward is fatal
to any town. They should be also
aware of the fact, that every addi-
tional inhabitant and every addi-
tional dollar brought into San An
tonic, is benefit to business men.
San Antonio business men should
heartily approve and work for
every municipal measure calcu-
lated to increase the population
and capital of their city. They
should take the lead in all such
measures, and they should act
unitedly, and theoretically.
Such course would inspire respect
and beget confidence.
Our property owners should
come together and pull together.
That course would not only push
San Antonio ahead, but would
essentially promote the interest
of the property owner and them
selves. They are too ready to go
into Mysteries over anything which
will raise the city tax. Let them
remember no city improvements
are possible without money. IfSan
Antonio had good streets, crossings
and side walks, all over the city,
it would render her hundred fold
more comfortable and attractive
as we'll as enable her to draw both
population and capital beyond any
city in Texas. l am sorry to say
some property owners are double
distilled mossbacks and parsi-
monious enough to "skin a flea for
his hide and tallow," and to oppose
every project for improving and
identifying our city. The death of
such men would be a downright
blessing to San Antonio.
The "tin-bucket brigade" is Of
greater value to the growth Of a
city than one half a dozen stingy
and unprogressive millionaires.
The working man is under the
necessity of spending what he
earns for rent and the necessaries of
life. and he spends it at home.
All the money earned by the "tin
bucket brigade is expended right
at home and enters at once into
circulation, and it is just this
thing which renders him so help
full to a town. Now, the "tin bucket
brigade are able to talk for their
town and to talk for every sensible
scheme OF improvement, and this
talk goes to mold and focalize pub
lie opinion. / hold it to be the
duty of every citizen Of town to
stand up manfully for it and to
say a good word for it on all OCca-
sions, and it gives me low opin-
ion OF a man to hear him run down
his own town. 1T is a poor bird
that befouls it's own nest"
The zone thing needfup for San
Antonio is unity of sentiment and
concert of action on local questions,
and to attain this most necessary
and desirable result, we must keep
politics out of such questions and
disdain to wear the yoke and the
muzzle of this or that wire working
politician. We need a "long pull,
a strong pull, and a pull alto
gether," and we must have it soon,
or cease to move ahead. Shall we
come together and pull together :?
ALLON.