San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-01-05
THE CITY HIERARCHY.
Public Criticism and Inves,igat ion
Regarded as Obnoxious and
Reasonable.

conditions Wnlcn exist In this era
of the city's government, would it
be inappropriate to ask:
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar
feed,
That he has grown so create
The recent attack upon MIR.
James p. Newcomb, in the office
of the health department, located
in the city hall, certainly would
seem to justify more than a pass
ing protest, il the statements set
forth by Mr.. Newcomb are correct.
With the difficulties and dissen-
sions between Mr.. Newcomb on
the one hand and Street Commits
sioner Crowther, City Auditor
Meyer and Assistant City Auditor
Sauer on the other, have no con-
Germ; but as citizen Of San An
tonio-an atom OF the aggregation
which gees to make up her citizen
ship-I have a right to voice my
opposition to the peculiar and
hitherto unheard of methods in
vogue by the administration, and
shall certainly exercise it when
ever occasion seems to me proper.
Mr.. Newcomb's statement is to
the effect, verified by his affidavit,
that while discussing the recently
published official report of the
auditor, in the health office, he
was violently assaulted, knocked
down and beaten, his nose broken
and other serious and severe in.
juries inflicted upon his person.
Mr.. Newcomb's criticisms were
either true or false. If the latter,
it should certainly have been an
easy matter to expose their falsity
by other means and methods than
brute force, which never proves
anything save physical superiori-
ty over weaker and possibly de-
fenseless opponent. If his criti-
cisms were true they assume a
gravity which entities them to the
closest scrutiny and investigation
Ivy the grand jury and every citi.
zen.
1t is but the simple truth to as
sert that Mr.. Newcomb is probab-
ly the best informed man in re-
gard to the city's financial condi-
ton, its various bond issues, etc 4,
in San Antonio. He has made
the acts of the various administra-
tions, a study of love as we'll as
labor, with the result of a
thorough knowledge of the ques-
ton; and though member of the
present administration, he has
not been deferred from frequent
criticism of its politics, when he
deemed them i'm the interest of the
public good. Though clothed with
no official authority, his utterances
are generally accepted as eX-cathe-
dra, for it is not presumed that a
gentleman of his Intelligence, we'll
known probity and high stand
ing would deliberately falsify the
records in order to besmirch the
political regulations of his own
official associates.
The immediate cause which
brought forth the assault upon Mr..
Newcomb was his recent analysis,
without comment, of the late
official report of the city auditor.
Mr.. Newcomb contended that the
report was unsatisfactory, in that
it dealt in ''glittering generali-
ties" instead of specific details;
and in this contention most citi-
zens and taxpayers of San An
tonic will agree with him.
The records show that for the
six months beginning June l, 1895,
and including November 80, 1895,
the city collected in taxes, the vast
sum OF 100000, In addition to
this 100000, the city received
$302,000 from TIC sale OF an issue
of refunding bonds. Now, how was
this 500, 900 expended in less than
six months, leaving the treasury
bankrupt and the city's employees
unpaid their salaries for two or
three months? 1t is a notorious
fact that the treasury is today
empty. 1t is equally notorious
that the teachers in the public
schools are due their salaries for
October, November and Decem Der,
and the firemen and police are due
salaries for November and Deem
Der, while other employees and
creditors are urgently but vainly
clamoring for long overdue pay
ments OF just claims.
Conceding that the $780,, 900 real
lied from the sale OF the refunding
bonds was honestly applied TO the
extinguishment OF Judgments and
approved accounts" and 1t doubt
less was, how was the remaining
100000, collected from the tax
payers OF the city In the brief
period of six months, expended 2?
Why cannot the auditor, who is
but public servant, render a sat
isfactory account Of his steward
ship, by publishing, as is his duty,
a detailed statement of his expendi.
lures, instead OF grouping them to-
uathar unRpr tho unaafisfactorv