San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-03-20
OUR NEW CITY ADMINISTRA-
TION

Al q large number Of the readers of
the National Liquor Dealer have n
direct interest in the success of our
new city administration, are good tax
payers and contribute more literally
and promptly to the support Of the
city government than any other class
OF business men, it is proper TO COM
ment upon the situation.
Mayor Callaghan, in his speech at a
meeting at Mission garden presided
over by Dr.B.Hadra, laid down some
| elementary principles of city govern
ment which will serve as a text for
this criticism. Mr.. Callaghan annom-
ced that the mayor was simply the ex-
e-cutive, the city council were the
legislative power in whose hands rest
ed the proposal of all measures he as
mayor would only advise and carry
out their mandates.
|
Now this new city council has gone
to work in very rash, arbitrary. il
not spiteful manner to play even with
their late opponents at the ballot box.
Instead of going to work in a care
full, buSiness-like way to ascertain
just how the city stood financially;
instead of applying a common rule of
justice and business to the exercise
OF their power: instead OF finding out
| just how the city stood towards its
employees they went to work With in
decent haste TO GUST every man en-
ployed by the former administration
without making any effort to paw
them off or even give them any salts
| faction.
| There was no politics in this, the
| city council is made up Of business
men of good reputation-they stand
high in the estimation of their fellow
citizens; in their party affiliations
they are OF different partieS-the men
they turned out had committed no
party crime; their efficiency and good
behavior should have been the only
| question in issue, but with one fell
swoOp, policemen, firemen, employees
in the engineers department, and in
other departments, were kicked out
to make room for the personal friends
of the city council.
| While the people would acquisce in
this proceeding as an illustration of
the rule that to the victors belong
the SpOilS, they do insist that if the
victors take the spoils they should not
maltreat the conquered, or withhold
from them what is justly due them.
|
If the city is in such a bankrupt
condition that the city council could
see no way to pay off its officers and
employees, then they should have simp-
ply discharged the old force and not
put any one in their places until they
could pay off.
Men who have been depending up
on their wages coming from the city
to feed their families have been by
this action of the city council reduced
to sore distress-one poor fellow was
driven to commit crime and to end
his life by suicide. Without employ
ment they have no credit-withOut
pay justly due them, they must wait
in hopeless dispair of relief. All be
cause the city council were in such a
hurry to pay off their election debts
and reward their henchmen.
|
| lie dJUeUIlOu OF Ine CITY COUNCIL,
who have had no hesitancy in pursu-
ing n course that they would be
ashamed Of as private citizens and
business men, is called to a possible
solution Of the difficulty.
If your revenue has fallen off; II
Taxpayers are not enthusiastic; II cap
italists are afraid to lend you money;
there is no sense in trying to make
excuses, that your predecessors were
at fault; that you don't know what
has become Of the mayors contingent
fund; that the auditors books have
not been posted; that you suspicion
that Elmendorf exceeded his income
or budget; all this does not apply to
the men you have kicked out. You
have the same collector and treasurer
that served under Elmendorf; you can
find out the exact amount collected
and paid out and you can crafty your
curiosity by ealing in the old auditor
or employing an expert to post up
your books in the auditors office.
If you can't raise any money, you
can pass an ordinance, ordering your
executive, the mayor, to issue warrants
against the specified appropriations
require the treasurer to register them
and pay them off Immediately" as
the money comes in.
The state has set the example and
relieved it's financial distress while
not inflicting a great hardship on its
creditors. -
Mayor Calaghan is only the execut-
live. the council is the legislative body,
they give the mayor his orders
they employ the city hands and dis
charge them, they see to the finances
and expenditures.
STANDS AT THE HEAD.