The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-03-15
CONVENTION or MAYORS.

suggestions From an Advocate Of Public
Improvements.
To the Editor of The Post;
By the time another month rolls around
Houston and several other Texas cities
viii have elected new city administrations.
Lot us hope that each and every one will
select active, energetic and progressive
men, particularly as mayors and alder
men.
What | would suggest is that the Hous-
ton Business League, the Cotton Exchange
and Board Of Trade and citizens generally
unite and call convention of MAYORS Of
Texas cities who are Interested in carry
Ing forward public improvements.
The Bordages decision by the suprene
court has set Houston and other Texas
cities back several years in their growth
AS long as all hands sit down suppinely
and do nothing we will 30 backward in
Vestors will not come to cities where they
have no paved streets OH which to trans
port their goods from factories Having
but once TO live in this terrestrial sphere
people will not move to places where they
have TO wade to get to their homes a:lor
a rain; where there is imperfect drtinuAe
and sewerage; where there are lew CT
the comforts and conyenieuces OF the ayt
IN which we now live. We must have
paving, sewerage, drainage sidewalks ana
clean streets. or else let the inossbacks
furnish us air ships or balloon trlnHpo Ia
ton III order that we can get gbIus
In the good old days-the Utopia Of the
mossbacks-cvery b0dy got along without
electric lights electric cars, well paN ed
streets. sewerage, sanitary conVeuientes
and sidewalks because They had TO. Now
adays people don't have 10, you know
hence the cities that have all ;hese r.
quirements will be The ones winch viii ~
tract the capitalist ana the manufactures
They viii shun all cities not W 10 date
and not in the push"
If the mayors of Texas cities iJge,her
with some OF their wideawake aldermen
and citv attorneys, will attend conven-
ton in Houston, say in May they can
formulate some plan of action They cen
prepare a uniform bill TO he presented to
the legislature next January which Will
permit of pubic improN en1ents bong exc
cuted. An interchange OF ideas on those
subjects would result beuefcially to every
live CIV in the State. OF course. they
could discuss other matters pertinent to
the political economy Of municipal admin
istraton, but the main thing would he
pubS Improvements.
Shortly after the new city admnistra-
lions are inaugirated and under way the
campaign for county officers will COM
mcuce. The concerted action of the mu-
nicina representatives could be made in
n measure campaign issue or. rather
the agreement reached by the Conven-
tion OF municipal representatives could be
utelieently laid before every candidate
for the State senate and legislature, It
would be campaign of education, and
when the Twenty-ffth legislature meets
they would know what was wanted. and
could pass a measure giving tho necessary
relief without braying themselves to death
like the so-callod law makers at tho Ma
tional capital.
IT'S no use to say we can't pave we
can. We've got to. So let us have a con
ference and find out the best way to so
about having II done.
one thing hone Will he donc--a convict
rock pile established. Let convict labor
break the rock and free labor put 1t on
the streets. The clock struck 1896 over
two months ago, and we've got TO get a
stills and canoes, Free Lance.