The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-04-19
OUR OPPORTUNITY.
Mankato's Outlook Bright if
Our Citizens But Push Forward.
Views of a Leading Business Man-G Good
Streets and a Street Railway
Would Help Future
Growth.

The season of 1901 ought to be 8
most progressive one for Mankato.
With the talk of a new railroad coming
into the city and of the possibility OF
the extension of the Milwaukee line
to the twin cities with the improve
ments in contemplation on ou1
streets, there ought to be a general
move on the part of our citizens in a
practical way to push the interests of
Mankato on every possible occasion.
Mankato wants more factories and
more homes, but there are also other
improvements that must come to our
city if we get them on anything like
the extensive scale we would like.
Said one of our leading business men
this morning speaking along this same
line
'Our biennial city election is now
over, the people have spoken, our Off
GERS are chosen, and it is to be hoped
that all our people will take hold and
sustain our new city government in
everything it may do to advance the
city's interests, and that the new ad-
ADMINISTRATION will on its part do the
very best possible in every particular
to push Mankato ahead, while it keeps
ever in mind the matter of taxes and
improvements such as any go-ahead
city should and in fact must have
''It is of no benefit to a city to be
too sma II in the matter of taxes, es-
pecially as regards much needed i'm
provements, as few dollars more or
less cut little figure with the average
citizen, but may mean much to the
welfare of the city. But care and
good judgment ought to be taken in
the locating of all improvements and
the assessment of all taxes While
there is always more or less kicking
as to taxes, yet people as a general
thing have no serious objection to occa-
sionally what are called high taxes,
it they are equally assessed, and judi
ciously spent after being. collected, so
that good results come to the COM
munity. 1t is the useless waste of
public money that people most object
to.
''No city government ought to be
afraid to assess the necessary taxes for
any legitimate public use, and as a
rule public officials are seldom back
ward in this respect. Nor should they
be at all backward in making contrac-
tors and employees give full value for
money received. 1t is also a mistake,
one which is often made, to employ
men who are not able to do full
days work, and put them alongside
men who can, and who are paid for
full days work. The following of
such plan is often demoralizing to
all employees engaged. If the city at
any time wishes to give work to
class who because Of age or from other
reasons cannot do full days hard
labor, they should be given such work
as the city has that they can do m ost
easily and not mix them up with able
bodied men. 1 believe this would be
better both for them and for the city.
''But taxes equally assessed and
judciously expended for value received,
where there is no extravaganza will
not ruin any city. What we all want
is modern, go-ahead city in every re-
spect. with all modern improvements,
and such a city necessarily costs
money-not only costs money to secure
but to keep up.
ga few years ago many Mankato
people thought a telephone luxury
and not a necessity. Nowadays it has
become almost impossible to do with
out one in the home. It's cost is an
other of the taxes of modern life
"There is one thing that Mankato
needs above all others, and that is
good streets 1t would be blessing
to the city if the proposed South Sec
ond street improvement could be ex-
tended to all of our resident streets.
How often we have to hear: Look at
our neighbor, ST. Peter2 What fine
streets they enjoy. Except for short
periods of the year out streets are not
pleasure to travel over, or to take
over visitors and friends around upon.
l will here venture the opinion that
if st. Peter were the size of Mankato
and were possessed of our natural adj
vantages out of which large and
thriving city can be built, it would
possess in addition to good streets,
an electric street railway line. Why
do we stand in the way of our own
progress2 A go, ahead city, located as
Mankato is, cannot make much pro-
gress in these days without street
railway. We can not hope to attain
much more Importance as a manufac-
turing center, unless we have the
means to easily, quickly and cheaply
reach our outlying points.
81 believe that if company were
rightly organized and honestly con-
Quoted to put in street railway, and
then run the road in a business-like
and economical manner and for the
greatest pOssible accommodation of