San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-07-30
Ehe Tally Eight.
MONDAY, JULY 30, 1894.
the Folly of Opposing Sewers.

the Folly of Opposing Sewers.
Editor LIGHT:
There is scarcely a town, having
the population of San Antonio, in
any northern and western states
that is without system OF sewer
age. The enterprising and prudent
people of that portion OF the union
fully appreciate the priceless value
Of the healthfulness of a town or
city, and they are imbued with
sufficient public spirit and liberal
ity to bear cheerfully the burthens
necessary to construct sewers.
They never sacrifice health to a
parsimOnious spirit, and in
this, they are eminently
prudent and wise. The money laid
out in sewerage system is always
well spent, since it secures the pub
lie health and draws capital and
population.
San Antonio seems to be incap-
able Of acting, unitedly, on any
municipal question; she is split
into cliques and factions even on
the momentous question of making
adequate provision for the public
health. Tom Smith opposes sewers
because Harry Snodgrass is
in favor of them, and Dick
Dowlass opposes them because
Col. Sneed and Gen. Buster, from
whom he obtains his opinions,
ready made, are too unprogressive
-11 inh 70 70
thing which costs money. Then,
most Of the men who voted against
the present city government in
1892, imagine they can even up
things by voting against sewers.
In other words, they will inflict an
injury on San Antonio, which they
effusively pretend to love so
well, in order to spite and
handicap the city government,
which has proposed to sewer
the city. Where is the public
spirit and patriotism in pursuing
this dog-in-the-manger policy on
the sewerage question? There is
not one particle of public spirit, or
patriotism in such shOrt-sighted
and ruinous policy as is that of
endangering, perhaps sacrificing,
the public health to factional feel
ings. Nor is there good sense in
such policy.
There is no room for a difference
of opinion concerning the ne
cessity for sewers. The fact,
that such necessity exists,
is undeniable, because it is self
evident. 1t was unnecessary for
the doctors to point out this self
evident necessity. The using of
all the streams traversing San
Antonio, as sewers and pouring all
the garbage into them, demon
strates the necessity for sewerage.
Well, what are the taxpayers
going to do about the sewers?
Will they rise above party faction,
cliqueism, private animosity, sore
headism and penuriousness and
i vote as sensible and prudent meu
ought to do, under existing cir
cumstances and conditions.
Sensible and prudent:men never
sacrifice the public health to any
thing. The indisputable necessity
for sewers will cause sensible and
prudent tax payers to sacrific
party faction and personal grudg-
. es and jealousies to the paramount
Importance Of providing for the
public health. The letters of Drs.
Boyd, Bleim and Watts should
open the eyes of taxpayers to the
urgent need of sewers, aud shame
men out of the spirit of petty spite
and stolid factionism. The water
works company is bound by its
agreement to flush the sewers gra-
tuituously, and thisis a full answer
to the objection that sewers will be
useless when the city does not ow n
the water works. G. ID.