San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-03-11
SHORT STOPS.

SHORT STOPS.
What the People are Saying.
The people, at least the intelli-
gent, thinking people, understand
the true meaning Of Cuisines ad-
ministration" as applied to our
city government.
1t does not mean that Mr.. Ell
mendorf or Mr.. Richards will be ex-
pected to conduct the city business
on the same plan as they conduct
their business concerns,-they do
business to make profit, and &C
cumulate wealth; they buy at as
low figure as possible and sell at
profit; they employ as few agents
as possible to handle their goods;
pay as little expenses as they can
get along with.
The city government is not in
stituted to make money; no more
revenue should be taken from the
taxpayer than is necessary to car
ry on the government, and every
dollar should be expended and re-
turned to the community.
If the object of the city govern.
ment was similar to that of the
business man, to make or accumu-
late money, the policy Of the adj
ministration would be to cut
off all expense that might
be avoided, for instance, the
fire department, the police,
the schools, the improvement of
streets, the maintenance of parks,
etc. Let the citizen carry lamp
to light his footsteps after dark, a
gun to protect his person, a shovel
to clear the mud from his doorstep,
educate his children at his indi-
vidual expense, in fact, do without
public institutions entirely, and
gather revenue from the property
owners and business men; this
would be conducting the city on
"business" basis.
The people understand this bet
ter, they know that the city gov
eminent is a public institution for
the good of all and not to enrich
any one.
All that the people ask is that
their public business shall be con-
Quoted honestly, not niggardly,
not to produce a profit, not to
create condition Of bankruptcy.
The question is today the all i'm
pOrtant tax business. In Novem-
Der last the city council became
desperate over the matter of col
leCting the back taxes and farmed
out the job to private individual.
This action seems to have been
hasty and not we'll considered. If
the council had the right to farm
out this important business to a
private contractor why should they
not turn over the whole business
to a contractor and do away with
the collectors office entirely!
1t was in the nature of a vote Of
want Of confidence in the collector,
Mr.. Rische, when the council
turned over the delinquent tax
rolls to Mr.. l.. c. Brand under a
contract, to pay him per cent. on
collections.
Any taxpayer, who wishes to
look into the taX-collectOr's office,
can do so,-it is certainly run to
perfection,-the accounts are kept
so that every cent can be seen; in
fact, this Office furnishes the audi
tor and treasurer all Of their data,
and makes their duties very light
While the council was farming
out the collection of back taxes to
a private party, the fact faced them
that in the twenty-three months
prior the collector had collected and
paid into the city treasury $3.50, 600
which, at the rate Of per cent
would have yielded the collector
| $43,25O.
The people, under their charter
have elected a collector and a city
attorney. The charter gives to the