El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-12-06

county scrip up to par. Did it do it?
LIE. jursmsn who wi hin the past
w. elk got IS cents for their jury scrip
answer About seven yesrs ago the
city eoveramer WAS to be put on a
cash basis at once and cisy war; n S
wers to be sent booming up to 100 cen is
ON the dollar. Has the promised mil
lennium ma erialized? Not much!
And SO il will be again if the voters t.
molro~ are so lack ng ln judgment or
pa sriotism as to vote for he fun" ing
bonds. Nobody W II be benefit ed but
the specula ors. It will not be six
months before the process of depreci =
ton " ill as an set in aud city warrants
will be run iowa to 80, 80 or pOssib y
even to the pr SEM low figure of 10
cents.
What are we to do thea? Is the
city bankrupt? Is tree no escape
fl Om this condition.? To these ques-
lions there can be but ae sensible and
truthful reply. Yes. tie city is
virtually bankrupt, and there is but
has been Gle lr'y pointed out by the
mayor in Yesterdays Times. 1t is
RETRENCHMENT. Expenses must be
cut down: s4l4ries must be reduced
whe"e pra ticable; useless expenditures
must be topped Off; the most careful
scrutiny must be observed in all out
lay of public money. We have the
ties, imony of the mayor to the fact
tt at such a cour-e, if faithfully pur-
on q cash basis. Is not this
better than thirty years OF debt: What
business man of average intelligence
would hesitate which course to choose
if he found himself on the verge of
bankruptcy and confronted with the
alternatives of thirty years of de bt
and toll. ard uncertainty at the end of
it all, or two years of honest economy,
and Independence there fter. Let Ell
pendent enough to choose honest
economy rather than foolish eX-
and gaudy show and sub
servience to money lenders.
MOI cover, what IS second ward prop
erty wor tn. anyhow, without a levee
to protect it from hcOis? Unless a le-
wee be built, the next flood will not
taxes. much less the additiC nal expense
Of S7467 per year to meet the demands |
of iute re land siokipg fund upon the |
new debt we are n W a~ked to assume. |
Let second wardefs rt solve to vote for
no bonds until their property shall |
have been protected from the waters
OF the Rio Crane. An issue of bonds
tOF tnd5 purpose ing uG ppedl lOF NoGtS
to the residents of the second ward
with some prospect of receiving a ma
jority vote: but the pre- eat proposed
issues, never. Let the city officials
protect our homes frS5 and then ask us
to vote bonds for other purposes.
In conclusion, let it be remembered
that the $4,000 asked for in bords
means really 1921. 900 OF iudebt edness
plac d rs a mortgage upon every foot of
land and every dollars worth of p r.
sonal property in the city limits.
And again, let no voter fail TO vote
against the school bonds because of the
decision of the court of appeals. That
case is not yet finally adjudicated and
there is still hope that the supreme
court may overthrow the decision. Let
US vote against the school bonds along
with the others and defeat them.
Then, if our present admirable system |
of schools is to be allowed to stand. we |
will not be SO los ded down with debt |
and mortgage that we can't maiutain |
it. S. H. NEWMAN