Arizona republican., 1895-04-17
KING STORK. Tempe Demanded an
 Active Monarch
And Tempe ImporIuned
 love for Relief.
A Repetition of Events De-
 scribed by Esop.
A Hankering After Sprinkling Wagon Became Foun-
 dation of Woe.

One time the frogs in certain pond, says one of 1Esop's fables, dissatisfied with patriarchal go-as-you- please style of government, importuned love to give them king. The Thunderer complied and threw down from heaven huge log. After the fright succeed ing the mighty splash in the hitherto placid waters of the pond, the frogs approached his kingship, at first tim idly, but subsequently, with greater
 boldness, until at last they hopped upon him and saw what an innocuous
 fraud he was. Again the frogs applied
 to love for another kind of king, one
 something like the present Emperor
 Wilhelm of Germany. In desperation
 love granted this prayer and sent 8
 stork, who immediately celebrated his
 accession to the throne by dining upon
 his subjects. love was deaf to su bse-
 quent entreaties for the deposition of a
 so active monarch.
 The fable of the frogs was recalled
 yesterday by the hearing in the district
 court of an application by d large num- Der of citizens, mostly merchants, of
 Tempe praying for an injunction re-
 straining certain "alleged" officers of the lately incorporated village of Tempe from attem pting to collect licenses by virtue of "pretended" charter. A temporary restraining order had been granted by the court but upon the hearing yesterday 1t was withdrawn and the application for the perpetual injunction was denied. The citizens Of Tempe are therefore left exposed to the rapacity of the collector of merchants licenses and to all other hardships and . tortures which attach to the lnhabl- 3 tants of an Incorporated town.
 l There is a peculiar sadness in the ? story of the fate of Tempe. But few months ago it nestled in contentment at the foot of the Butte and when it Q wearied of nestling it arose to it's feet l and looked over the bank of the limpid . Salado. pastoral simplicity pervaded ] the precincts of the town and hallowed !, stiffness reigned. broken only betimes 8 by the song of Curt Miller and other g south side prima donnas. Occasionally d traveller went out 10 Phoenix on the s one side or Mesa on the other and re-
 turned with eye-opening stories of the
 snlendor of the outer world. i piTic of unrest was thus engendered and the
 population of Tempe began panting for
 a sprinklihg wagon, incorporated city
 limits and municipal government. |, Some wiser and older heads suggested [ that the innovations be introduced in {, installments, that the sprinkling wagon Il be tried first. It was done and the U wagon was maintained by popular sub- s scription. All went well enough for while, but at length the wagon was no y longer novel and support fell of. Then ,. 1t became apparent that no system of E municipal progress could be long main- tained without fixed government. with E an authoritative prescription for raising funds for It's support. 4 reform on any T. other basis is apt to be evanescent if C not ilusory.
 U There was 8 divided sentiment in U Tempe. Some favored going back to l first principles and the enjoyment of '' the bucolic contentment known before y they had ever heard of street.sprinklers. '' Others imbued with fatal progressive -' ideas desired to make the sprinkling . wagon the stepping stone to higher
 things and demanded full-fedged city
 government.
 A compromise was effected which
 turns out to be in effect no compromise.
 It was understood that an application
 would be made to the county board of g supervisors for authority to incorporate
 and thereby obtain further authority to
 legislate and levy taxes and sell property
 under distraint, if necessary, for the y support of the sprinkling wagon.
 The power to incorporate was finally
 granted. A mayor and council was
 elected, a city attorney was appointed
 and the sluice gates were thrown open
 to all the expenditures which make V sleepless nights for a municipality. n The spirit of unrest grew and there = arose hankerines after ''Greater e Tempe" School section 16 was B. jumped and in the minds eye the
 boundaries of the new city spread out
 toward Phoenix, beyond Mesa and
 threatened the absorption of Sacaton.
 About this time the license tax was = unpaid and for the first time the Tenn
 peans realized what g stork of king '. the love of board of supervisors had | uro n f. od thnm