San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-03-24
SHORT STOPS.
What the People are Saying.
[By Col. ]. p. Newcomb.l

All our taxpayers are interested in
the problem of how our city govern
ment shall be run during the present
administration. If the extravaganza
of the past is to be continued: if the
inflated assessment of property is to
be kept up; If the high rate of tax is to
be maintained. then surely there is
little hope.
The city council seems to be delighted
with themselves-the novelty of hold
ing an important position-the pleasure
of exercising power over their fellow
citizens is so pleasant and tickles their
vanity to such an extent that they are
unable to restrain their sharpened
sense of humor whenever they hear a
wall from the men they have so uncer-
enormously kicked into the highway.
.
At the last meeting of the city coun-
Gil, which Melted IS each, not a word
was said or thing done to relieve the
discharged city employees. On the con-
trary they seem to have forgotten that
there are such people in existence.
The city council are all seated in the
gilded city coach-they are enjoying a
prospective two year jaunt along the
highway of popular approval, paved
! as it is said hell is. with good inten-
tons; they have their liveried servants
their Positions, cooks and bottle wash
ers, while they have harnessed the tax
payers to pull them along at a gallop.
What matters it to this gay party of
| junketers If the wheels of their coach
pass ever the Frustrated bodies of the
| poor and unfortunate who happened to
be in their way; their outriders will
only crack their whips the merrier.
-
At the last meeting of city coun--
| ell one of the gay company with a
| foreboding of danger ahead, suggested
a little relief to the patient team-the
taxpayers-he was promptly sat down
upon, and the drivers popped the
whips louder over the banks of the al
ready hardly driven team.
And so we go, jogging along-the
| company inside the coach having a
good time, cheered by wine and song,
while the team sweats and tugs up
the slippery hill of financial distress.
Dropping metaphor, the proposition
of Alderman Mauermann to reduce the
rate of taxation to $1.10 on the 500, is
both logical and practicable, particu-
larly in view of his statement that
there is available at least $500, 900 out
of over 100000 back taxes. II this
amount is in sight Alderman Mauer-
mann has proposed reasonable re-
duction of taxes.
Alderman Mauermann has called
attention to our inflated assessment of
property, which can only be remedied
by a reduction of taxes: he has laid
down a proposition not new to the
writer of Short Stops. that the city
should first ascertain it's possible in
come and regulate its expenses accord
ingly.
If Alderman Mauermann is correct
in his statement that there is 100000
due the city that can be collected, then
the late administration has left the
city in a splendid condition. There
should be no delay in devising means
to pay off the discharged men, and
paying the bills of deferred creditors,
which would leave a large sum to be
added to the current years income.
There is no need to delay on account
of the auditors books not having been
posted up to date, this is only little
trick of book keeping that can be done
without trouble.
Before a dollar is spent in the new
To- - he
| tlemen who are having such pleasant
rides at the expense of the taxpayers,
they should pay off their discharged
servants. or else their team will refuse
| to pull the coach.