San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-05-02
THE : SUNDAY : LIGHT.
SUNDAY, MAY 2, 1897.
SHORT STOPS.
What the People are Saying.


the city council but soon dies out.
F short Stops" is the sower of ideas, af-
ter the manner of the sower in the pa
rable "A sower went out to sow his
+ seed, and as he sowed, some fell by the
way side and it was trodden down, and
the fowls of the air devoured it.
''And some fell upon rock; and as
/ soon as it sprung up, it withered away,
because it lacked moisture"
} They on the rock, have little root,
t and soon wither and die out. The
ciyt council is a good deal like a bed
of rock so far as fertility is concerned.
Mauermann caught an idea as it fell
and it sprung up quickly; it was: that
instead Of increasing the rate of taxes
the rate should be reduced, but the idea
had no moisture.
Johnson became impregnated with an
idea, and the seed buried itself deep
in the recesses of his legislative brain,
but after all it struck rock, and got no
further than the surface-his idea was
that by offering discount the city
might collect its back taxes; but there
was not moisture enough.
Alderman Denny feels the awakening
of creation, of an idea, that the city |
should issue warrants to its discharged |
employees, which would furnish them |
some tangible evidence of Indebtedness. |
But there seems to be moisture lack |
ing to sprout this idea.
The council is the legislative body |
of the city government, they are re- |
sponsible for all measures of the city |
administration. They are confronted |
with problems that require fertility of |
brain, the exercise of good sense so
that when an idea falls among them
it may spring up and bear fruit hum
bred fold.
There is a great display of legal OBJ
jections whenever this important body
attempts to do anything that is not to
be done, and on the other hand when
there are things to be done, legal quib-
bles are not sprung.
Mauermann's idea to reduce the tax
rate was good in so far as it would |
have had a good effect upon the peo-
pie; it would have encouraged the
taxpayer to come to the front; now
the council is pounding their heads as
by what kind of severe measures they
shall squeeze blood from the public
turnip.
Alderman Hicks whose legal acumen
is much depended on, imagines he has
an idea, but it never fell from the /
hand of the 'Shortstop" sOwer. 1t
would be dangerous for the Honorable |
Hicks to absorb Short Stop" idea, |
it might burst his cerebrum. His idea |
is that the city collector can go about |
seizing the personal effects of recall |
citrant taxpayers. He has not cal |
culated the dangers, this veteran of |
Sedan, would be subjected to. Hicks |
is to draw up the ordinance which is |
TO contain a clause to protect Max |
from the consequence of honest mis- |
takes" this was one of the ideas of |
Chief of Finance, Alderman Duerler-
bullet proof Jacket, to reach from the
top of the head to the feet, would be
"a good idea, Brother Hicks.
The issue of warrants to be drawn
against the specified appropriations in
favor of the past due indebtedness, has
every element of justice, of law and
authority to back it. Besides it would
improve the credit of the city. While
on the other hand the making preferred
creditors of the officials and employees
of this administration has impaired the
credit of the city.
To issue warrants after the manner
of the state finds perfect authority in
the charter, and who is there to OBJ
ject? The late administration re-
ceived warrants for taxes, this was
clearly forbidden in the charter but
these warrants were from creditors of
the city who were indebted to the city
and the warrants were simply cashed.
But warrants issued to creditors I'M
der the state plan would be no draft
on the city treasury only when money
was on hand to pay them.
And the sower will continue to go
forth to SOW his seed hoping some will
fall on good ground.