San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-11
SHORT STOPS.
What the PeopIe ace SAVING.

There cannot be too much discussion
of our city affairs especially when the
success of its administration hangs in
the balance; when its credit is threat
ened; when its public institutions are
endangered.
The lives, the fortunes, the happi-
ness of half a hundred thousand peO-
pie, living within the corporate limits,
depend largely upon the successful adj
ministratiOn of our city government.
\ good many people think that the
city government exists simply to fur
nish jobs for policemen, tiremen, school |
teachers, and their bosses; and it
sometimes looks very much mat way, |
but city government becomes a nui-
sance when it degenerates INTO an in
cubatOr to hatch out OfficehOlders and |
when the revenues of. the taxpayers |
is squandered to advance the ambi- |
ton and designs of a municipal ring. |
The city government is instituted |
for the purpose of furnishing to
large community of people, living close |
together, cOnveniences and necessities |
that they could not have by individ- |
ual action. a supply of good water, |
light for the streets; well built and |
well kept streets; public schools; po-
lice to guard the peace;al these things |
and more. are requisites of Il cOrpOr-
ated city.
When Il town grows 70 be a city. |
by increase of population. the public |
health becomes n matter of the first |
Importance. To keep city of $4,000 |
people living within a limited space |
of territory clean and in a good sani-
tary condition involves large eXpen- |
diture of money, the strictest vigi- |
lance on the part of the public author
tiles. and best intelligence in the COM
munity. system of sewers must be |
built. to carry off the filth. and mod |
ern science and ingenuity has revOlu- !
tiOnized the building of sewers to
cleanse cities.
The building of our sewers is one
of the most important public enter
prises ever undertaken by our city |
government, one that should last for
generations if the work is we'll done
and the plan adopted is n good one.
After long agitation of the question of
sewers, the taxpayers voted for the
sum required TO build system that
would cover the more ,ienseIy pOpu-
lated portions of our city. in fact |
reaching the suburban precincts. The
Inauguration of this enterprise is due
to the efforts of the late Geo. Paschal
whose ambition was to Signalize his
administration as the most progressive
of any in the history of the city. His
untimely death was n severe blow
to the public, but the people determin-
ed to have their wishes carried out
and to do so, came to the polls in favor
of Mr.. ElmendOrf and his ticket, as
as the legitimate successors of the
Paschal administration. Upon Mr..
Mr.. ElmendOrfs shoulders fell the
task so well begun by paschal.
How has the work been carried out:
is it Il success or Il failure; are QueS-
tons Of the weightiest importance to
our taxpayers. At the last city cleo L
ton the ElmendOrf administration met /
with a rebuke at the polls, largely due
to the manner in which the sewer
work had been prosecuted. The press
had for two years criticized the Ell
mendOrf administration Mr. Gray,
whose fame as an engineer had Sc
cured him the job of preparing the
plans came in for severe criticism, not |
as to his plans but as to his services
as consulting engineer. The letting !
70 the contract created Scandal:th |
council departing from the rule of the |
lowest bidder gave the contract to Il |
bidder who had secured pull this con- |
tractor proved unable to carry out his |
job and sold out to another firm, the |
city cOnsenting to the transfer. and Ia |
ter on the failure of this firm to go on
with the work forced the city to make |
contract with other parties, who are
now at work, consuming what is left
of the sewer fund.
The sewer fund, it is charged, has
been raided for expenditures that were
unnecessary. Mr.. Gray'S employment
at large salary to act as consulting
engineer was all right had it been for
actual services, but paying Mr. Gray
| for flying visits to the city. when he
did nothing but report the work done
as satisfactory, was indefenSible
| Mr.. Gray'S services were ornamental.
after the adoption of his plans it was
waste of money, and not cOntempla-
ted at the beginning
The material used in the construc-
ton of the sewers came in for severe
criticism and the public lost confidence
| in Mr.. Gray and in the whole work
OF course, a good deal of this criti-
cism came from disappointed persons
who either wanted employment or had |
material for sale; city politics began |
to center about the sewer question and |
while the ElmendOrf administration |
maintained that everything was all |
right and that the sewers would be |
completed as originally contracted for, |
with the money voted, and that il was |