San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-12-30
SHORT STOPS.
What The People Are Saying.


What The People Are Saying.
The Fourth Ward Protective club
is doing some good in publishing sta
tistics and agitating city reforms. We
have before us the last report and
recommendations, to-wit: That
mass meeting be held TO urge the city
council to allow delinquents to settle
their taxes at a discount, to have the
city pay $4,000 bonds past due. even
If we borrow the money to do so. to
appoint a committee to urge the inn
provement of San Pedro Springs.
Crockett and Madison Squares. to
have the city prisoners work hours
day in cleaning streets, to have the
streets sprinkled.
The public have a right to expect
| something more important from so
intelligent body of good citizens.
They have pointed out how our finan-
ces stand, why don't they tell the peO-
pie how we can run a city govern
ment within our possible income with
out increasing our debt or adding to
the burdens now carried by our tax
payers.
|
| Why not turn the delinquent tax
payers over to the regular operation
of the tax collecting machinery; all
that can be collected will be collected
in time. while the policy of giving
delinquent taxpayers a rebate encour-
ages delinquency. If one taxpayer
is TO be favored why not all?
1
| The idea of borrowing money to pay
bonds; such a proceeding is not good
business; why have not the club in
vestigated the sinking fund question
and found out what has become of
| the sinking fund that should be on
hand to pay the bonds, and propose
some way to restore the sinking fund
The Improvement of the parks NAM
ed is good idea, but where is the
money to come from for this work,
and should we neglect the care of our
streets in order to beautify our parks
OF course the parks are useful and or
namental, but our streets need the
first care.
AS to the city prisoners being work
ed nine hours day cleaning UP the
streets, is good idea. but men who
are required to work nine hours
should have good food, decent quar-
tiers. and be treated kindly and hui
namely. The club has never investi-
gated our city hole. or the treatment
of the unfortunate people who violate
city ordinances.
AS to the sprinkling of the streets
cleaning should precede sprinkling
and until some more effective and eco
nomical method is adopted it would
be too expensive a luxury to apply to
the whole city.
The Fourth Ward has been sadly
neglected and shamefully used-the
streets leading TO the business center
have been given away to the street
railway company. and no highway
reserved for the use of the public. Its
streets have been left unimpr0ved
while miles of good streets have been
built over the San Pedro and east OF
the river: its parks and squares have
been the step-children of the parb
committee. but who is to blame for it
The Fourth ward has had able and
influential aldermen, why have they
not looked after the ward?
Perhaps the woes of the Fourtl
ward date from the opposition of it:
voters to city misrule during the pas
city administrations. 1t has enjoyed
the distinction Of being ward tina
could not be handled by the office
holders combine, and was punished
when it come to dishing out the pat
ronage Of our city.