San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-01-13
SHORT STOPS.
what The People Are Saying.

| The granting the right to the Collins
Land company to build out into the
river, is regarded as another grab at
the property rights of the people
This very property is an ILLUSTRATION
of the enroachments that have been
permitted upon the property that be-
longs to the public Originally the
banks of the river were reserved to
the use and enjoyment of the public.
but the greed of property owners en-
croached upon the ancient rights of the
public and property lines were extend
ed to the river banks to get few feet
more of property at the public expense.
These ellroachments covered the en-
tire course Of the river through the
city; it was after 1S49 that property
owners ventured to fence in the river.
but later on they began to build on the
very waters edge.
Right where the Collins building now
stands on Houston street, was river,
and belonged to the public and now
more is granted.
These enroachments have destroyed
the beauty of the stream and made it
the receptacle of all manner of dunn
page, and finally an open sewer for
hundreds of private sewers. The bed
of the river has become a mass of fill
thy stuff and the volume of water that
should pass through the channel has
been driven into the gravel bed under
lying the city.
The banks of the river should be pre-
served to the public, and when reliev-
ed of the sewerage the river should be
cleaned to the original bed and made
the chief beauty of the city.
Looking to the future, our river is
worth more to the city than all the
three-story buildings in the city. The
preservation of the banks of the trees
that cast their shadows upon the rip
ping waters; the plants, that purify
the water; the banks kept clean of
rubbish and planted with flowers
would afford a pleasure not to be OBJ
tanned by any other public improve
ment.
1t is our river that furnishes the on
4
in the memory of our children, no
matter how far they may wander from
home.
Our river should be cared for as our
parks and made the chief attraction
of our city.
The great effort of our city admin
istration should be to make our city
not only the cleanest, but the most at
tractive in the state, so that the stran-
ger and visitor will prefer this to all
other resorts of the south
1t is a mistaken idea that the river
bed should be guaged by the low water
mark; there is likely to be season
when transforms such as have occurr-
ed in the past years will make our riv-
er burst over it's confines and cause
| great damage, particularly If it is hem
med in by walls. Every inch belong
ing to the public should be preserved.
And then, again, how is it that spec
ial privileges, rights and valuable con-
cessions can be made to the injury and
at the cost of the whole people.
No city can flourish where the sell
fish greed of the few is gratified. Our
people must broaden their ideas. If
property line is set back to straighten
and widen street, the owner i'm
mediately sets up a claim to the side
walk and proceeds to utilize it, or to
claim payment for thing that really
enhances the value of his property.
Many seem to think that the city is
creature separate and apart from the
people, when in fact the people are the
city, the property owners are the city,
and when they exact anything from
the city they are exacting 1t from
themselves.
Our present city council, or MAORI
ty of them, have signalized their eX-
piring term of power by an act that
they will live to regret. In all acts
the council should look to the future
not the present, not the next few years,
but they must remember that here Will
be a city when they have been long
dead and forgotten, and that the ru-
ture-the great future should always
be in their minds: that while it may be
excusable to load the next generation
with debt for the benefit of the pres
ent living men, that our children and
chlidren's children will live to enjoy
existence after us. Only the memory
of those men will last who have i'm
printed their wisdom upon the legisla-
ton and institutions of our city
|