San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-06-30
LOCAL WEATHER FORECAST.
Generally fair tonight and tomorrow.
CITY TOPICS.
REFORM CITY GOVERNMENT.

l.
While we may not reach in this gen.
Grafton the perfection of municipal re-
form attained by European cities. and
good sized towns in our older states,
yet much can be achieved under our
exceedingly liberal city charter that
contains practicallySbut few limitations
upon the absolute power Of the NUM-
cipality to do any thing that may seem
good to do for their advancement and
betterment. Our charter limits the
powers granted within the powers of
the state constitution; limits the
amount of debt to be made and taxes
to be levied, but in all other particu-
lars practically leaves the people at
liberty to carve out their own institu-
tons. We need no legislative act to au-
thorize the ownership and control the
water works, electric light and gas
plants, telephone or street railways.
We can advance in any direction prof.
table for the health, comfort and edu-
cation of our people. Reform city gov
eminent has become a necessity in old,
large cities, where poverty has huddled
great masses of the population into
close and unhealthy quarters, requir-
ing public sanitary measures, where
private corporations have been permit
ted to grasp the community by the
throat and fatten off of the needs of
the people, requiring public ownership
of the water supply and the lighting,
public and private; where the absolute
control of the streets COMPEL owner
ship of street railways; where the ex-
ta nj Of nh Toe
become burden to the public. All
these things can be done under our
charter. The management of our
schools, the control of our parks, and
the management of the public water
supply and public lighting can all be
put under the control of boards of cit |
liens without pay. We could profit |
by the ripened experience of other cit |
les and thereby avoid experiments. |
San Antonio has not reached either |
in population or conditions, the neees- |
sity that has forced other cities in |
densely populated states to resort to |
public control of all institutions in |
general use by the public. We have |
but limited area of hard citizenship, |
we have no suffocating human bee
hives; we have no such distress as
prevails in larger cities. Our factory |
life is as yet very limited; about our
limits stretches the green country with 4
its untitled thousands of acres; its /
prairies teeming with game; its woods
and brushes full of song birds; it will |
be long time before we will be
hemmed in so that we cannot breathe
freely. But every necessity is fur
nished the public by private corpora
tons. Water, gas, electric light,
phones, street railways. All OF these
corporations hold franchises over our
streets free of charge. The day is
coming when reform city government
will mean public ownership of all these
plants. Perhaps we do not need them
now; perhaps we can stand the heavy
charges imposed for the use of water,
lights, etc., but wise forecast Of the
future would dictate that the founda-
ton should be laid for ultimate pub
lie ownership. The present city adj
can do little in the direc-
ton of municipSi reform until the deb
ris of the former administration is
cleared away. Economy in public ex-
penditures; a watchful care over the
city government; the placing CT the |
city on a cash basis; the prompt meet
ing Of public obligations, is the work
Mayor Callaghan has before him dur
Ing the remaining portion of his term.
1t will be task sufficient for the time
allotted, and to Go this he must have
the hearty support of the taxpayers
who can make it possible 10 carry out 1
the proposed task, or to thwart all eff |
forts by holding back their obligated
{