The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-06-20
Mayor Taubman's Address.


At a meeting of the city council OF
last Friday night the city officials wer,
sworn in, after which Mayor Taubma1
addressed the council as folio VS.:
Gentlemen of the Council:
1t is a qualification to me to know
that our administration of the past two
years has been ratified by u fellow
citizens, and that a large majority OF
the old officers have been reelected fol
another term. 1t is but natural thai
some will find fault with public officials
and that we cannot please every one,
hence we were each opposed by gentle.
men of the highest standing, who CON
tended for the positions of honor and
trust. l now hope that the bitterness
of the canvass, if any, will be forgotten
and that all will do their duty as
patriotic citizens i'll advancing the best
interests of our beautiful city. We
should feel thankful to the over ruling
Providence that O~uricity has been spared
from the destructive storms II floods
which have visited other cities i'll this
and adjoining states, in which millions
of dollars worth of property have been
destroyed and hundreds of precious
lives have been lost, causing heart aches
and misery for thousands of our fellow
citizens. We should also be thankful
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tagiOus diseases and epidemicS which
have been prevalent i'll some of our
adjoining counties; for this credit should
be given to the physicians composing
our board of health, who have repeat
edly made recommendations as to the
sanitary condition of our city, and to
our people for their cheerful compliance
with the same. With hundreds of
students attending our several colleges,
- SC nanncCaru fhaf Nua ChnnI6 Gfill
maintain our reputation for health and
cleanliness, and to this end should
extend our sewerage system as rapidly
as possible. In order to still further
improve the health of our city and get
statistics which are absolutely necessary
in this enlightened age, some of the
physicians of our board of health
earnestly recommend that an ordinance
be passed requiring physicians to report,
to such officer as the city may direct,
all contagious diseases under their
charge or of their knowledge in the city,
also requiring reports to be made of all
births and all deaths and causes of
death in this city.
Having paid off the debt of the city
which we found two years ago, we
should now be able to make more i'm
prOvements of a substantial character
and where they are mostly needed.
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of the council to look after the interest of
their respective wards they should not
forget that they represent the whole
city and should act accordingly.
| am glad to say that our fire depart
ment IS in excellent condition, and
believe that we should render this i'm
portant branch of II city government
every facility that our finances will
permit.
The water, gas, and electric light
companies are each giving satisfaction
and their plants are ornaments to u
city. Each seems to be fairly prosper
Gus. and | trust that their amicable
relations with each other and the city
may still be maintained.
The large delinquent tax list is a
source of annoyance and the cause of a
deficiency for improvements; Some
steps should be taken at once to collect
the personal delinquency from those
who are able to pay and who have
property but refuse and dodge their
taxes on frivolous pretenses to the
detriment of the city and imposing
additional burdens on willing taxpayers.
The names of those who are unable to
pay should be stricken from the books.
as it is "a useless expense to carry them
from year to year.
From the reports submitted to the
COulCll we uLu lildI d SichI uldiJ ChC-
cutionS are not issued, but are stayed
from thirty to sixty days. and | request
that the finance committee ascertain
if executions are ever issued in these
cases after the expiration of the time,
and if they are not some disposition
should be made of them.
The morals of our city have improved
somewhat in the past two years, but
there is room for great improvement
and / trust that the marshal and police
Will use due diligence in bringing viola
tors of the law to a realization of the
fact that for every violation they will be
surely punished.
| hope our relations may be pleasant
in the future as in the past; that pros
perity may smile upon us as Il people
and as Il city and that our fOndest hopes
may be fully realized in the great under
takings in which we are and have been
so deeply interested.
John TAJRMAN. MaVOr.