San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-12-28
SHORT STOPS.
What the People Are Saying.


The greatest fault of our mayors
has been a lack of attention to the
care of the city; to the details of ad-
ministration; to the economy of gov
eminent. They have been too much
absorbed in private business, or polit-
ical scheming to secure succession to
office.
The haphaZard methods pursued by
executive and legislative depart
ments have led to waste of the pub
lie funds; the public improvements
made at great expense have been al
lowed to go to rack, especially is this
the case with our streets, which have
cost in the past sixteen years a million
of dollars to pay which the city has
been bonded and the taxpayers are
harnessed to the money lenders coach
and compelled to pull for generation
to come.
We have been throwing money in the
mud; no scientific plan of improve
ments has been devised, in fact every
principle of road building approved
by experience, has been disregarded.
No intelligent report has ever been
made of our street work, and eXpe-
rience only points to a gigantic fail
ure.
Our people are poorly posted as to
correct methods, because they have
had no object lessons in the art of
street improvements outside the block
pavements. of any value.
Before we pass to the all important
question of streets and the care of
our public institutions it would be
well to get our question well into
our heads. We must provide money
to run our city government, and tax
es is the only resource.
We now understand that the back
tax crusade is entirely unnecessary;
that in 16 years from 1880 to and in
elusive of 1895. the city has levied
four and one-half million dollars, of
which there has been collected over
four million dollars: in addition we
have borrowed on bonds, over two
million dollars, all of which has been
expended. All that we have to show
for this great sum of money is our
city hall, school houses, fire engine
houses, few paved streets. bridges
and an incomplete sewer system. OF
course we have had the blessings of
municipal government; we have had
any amount of local politics, but we
have paid dearly for it all
But, we have proven our cOmmuni-
ty to be faithful and generous tax
paying people. 1t is estimated that
in IS years our deficit in collections
is less than 8 per cent for the whole
period. Then what is all the row
about.
The truth is that the back tax ,lelin-
quent has been made the scape goat
for the lack of business methods and
financial foresight, to say nothing of
reckless extravaganza on the part of
the peoples servants.
If every dollar due today, that could
be legally collected, was paid. we
would be short in providing for the
delinquencies of the city; our only
hope is to secure an administration
ludI Will nave lut W
the public expenditures within posi-
BILE income, such an ADMINISTRATION
would have to give up the idea of
building up a pie machine as an adj
junct to the county courthouse pie
factory; ii. would have the opposition
of all those who demand great i'm
provements, and believe that they
have been neglected, but if such an
administration could be allowed to
bring the city to a cash basis; restore
it's credit, show a good account for
the money expended, it might be that
in the course of the next two years
the people could indulge in some eX-
travagance. especially if times i'm
prove.
A thoroughly economical admins
tration of our city affairs for the next
two years is what should be demand
ed and the people should see to it that
they make no mistakes. The expert
ence of the past should not be lost
sight of in the selection of their
mayor and city council.
BASEBALL.
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