San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-11-22
SHORT STOPS.
What the People are Saying

BLUNT SIOf6.
What the People are Saying.
The intelligent people of our city
read the newspapers and expect all
questions Of public interest to be
fairly discussed in order that they
may make up their judgment upon
them. The intelligent public, while
depending upon the press, are sell
dom led astray by falsehood or de-
ception. To be influential the press
must be honest and express the
sentiment of the people.
Looking backward over the his
tory of the past two years, the
LIGHT has much to be proud of.
The election of the late mayor
marked an eventful era in our city's
history. The intelligent masses of
our people responded to the de-
mand for a change in the manage
ment of city affairs; the city SEEM
ed to be in a hopeless condition,
and the reform movement was a
genuine demand for more econom-
ical, intelligent, progressive adj
ministration. The LIGHT was fore
most in that contest.
The new administration took
charge under very adverse circum-
stances an empty treasury, nu.
merous pledges in advance Of tax
receipts, heavy expense for light
and water, and an expensive city
government that had grown up
during years Of waste and extrav-
agance. But the late mayor faced
the situation with fortitude and
ability. A series of conflicts &C.
Cured in which the LIGHT proved
the loyal friend of Mayor Paschal.
The late mayor fell heir to all
the evils of our local politics, and
| however anxious he might have
| been to shake off the incubus, he
| found it a harder task than to
plunge forward with the impor.
tant measures that were closest to
his ambition, hoping in the end
to turn upon the minor evils be-
fore closing his official career. Mr..
Paschal always felt that he had the
power to institute reform when
once he had the time to do so. He
carried his great measures, and
left them great legacy to his sue
cessors in office, but he left also
the work undone so far as the po-
litical features of the city govern
ment was concerned. Today there
is as much intrigue, as much care
lessness in the details of our mu.
nicipal government as there was
during the Callaghan regime.
The late mayors first care was to
straighten out the financial tangle;
in his effort to do this he called on
the tax payers to vote $240,OO0 to
be issued in the shape of notes to
pay off the debt to the San Anto-
MO National bank, in order that
the taxes might be available to
pay the running expenses Of the
city. The LIGHT was the earnest
advocate of this measure and it
was voted by the people, although
the enemies of the administration
took the opportunity to do all in
their power to defeat it. This
measure was decided i'm practicable
afterward because of the attempt
to fasten it on the city as part Of
its bonded debt. But finally the
bank was settled with, Mr.. Brock
enridge accepting terms mutually
agreed upon.
The demand for more public
school houses, necessitating an
issue of bonds and the levy Of adj
ditional tax, was submitted to the
people and carried-it was hard
fought battle. The LIGHT was to
the front in this contest.
The agitation for sewers and
waterworks brought on long and
acrimonious contest. The people
were asked to vote loan of 1926, 700
for experimental purposes. 1t was
carried against serious opposition.
The LIGHT was again the main re-
lance of the administration. The
waterworks question was settled
and the sewers undertaken.
The last great battle was over
the proposition to issue 100000 in
bonds to build system Of sewers.
1t was a hard battle. The enemies
of the city administration included
tho rournrfnl nnnntu 1.inn and the