Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-12
ANY FURTHER BONDS
Southwest Imgrovsn Think Oity's Debt i,
Big Enough Now.
SENTIMENT EXPRESSED IN RESOLUTION
Proposed New EnEine Houses ana
Garbage Crematories BriRE oct
strong Speeches Against
the Plan.

At it's meeting wednesday night the
Southwestern improvement club vent de-
cislvely on record against any voting Of
bonds for a new engine house. for creme
tories. or for any other purpose not ae-
tually a crying necessity. A resolution to
such an end was presented BY r. w. DTbail
and unanimously adopted, and one clause
provided that copies Of It be sent TO the
mayor and each member OF the city council
President W. II. Green brought the mat
ter before the meeting by referring TO the
recommendation In Mayor Moores' message
regarding the engine house. and to City
Engineer R~osewster's proposal as TO the
crematories. He said that he had noticed
that the only men who had come up before
The Board Of Equalization this time OBJ
jeeting I. their taxes we're the jobbers Of
the wholesale district.- He did not favor
repaying that action by giving them a new
engine house down there. especially when
II would result in the saving Of only
enough insurance to support two fremen.
As TO the crematuries. Mr.. Green said that
they we're not essential. and he did not
wish 20 see the clty's bonded Indebtedness
heaped any higher in that way. when the
city had such good natural advantages for
the disposition Of garbage and Nth. Voting
bonds promisouously for things was a fad
in Omaha. said Mr.. Green. and he was
opposed to IT.
Keep out of Debt.
City Attorney Connell was asked for his
opinion on this and said: Every man OF
us knows what a burden is debt, and Il is
Just as much OF a load for this city. After
my own personal experience in life I shall
advise my boys as the very first Of business
principles to keep out OF debt. Eccentric
old Randolph Of Roanoke spoke truly when
ne sand that the true philosophers stone
was Pay as you CO. ! should be a happier
man tonight II my credit hadn't been too
good fifteen years ago. But l intend to get
out Of debt, and favor a similar policy for
the city. II We cannot get Omaha out OF
debt let US at least not pile up any more
debts unnecessarily
"As regards the engine house, we have
got along without it fairly we'll till now,
and let us wait till we are in a little better
shape before building Il. AS for the erema-
tories. they are in the nrst place an ex-
pertinent anywhere. and we have no money
to spend on experiments. Then they are
not commonly used by cities yet, and we
do not wish to rush in and lose money
testing them. Again, Omaha does not &C.
tuslly need them. With the big river flow.
ing by and the great expanse Of oper
ground around us We have very fair faeili.
ties that take the place Of crematories
and considering the condition OF the city,
debt now, We should not add on this extrI
burden. How can taxes ever become lesI
II we continue to increase the debts? In.
terest is a far more formidable burden thar
many realize. People talk about the cit;
administrations being responsible for tn,
burdens, but that is the smallest part Of It
let any party govern the city. democrats
or republicans or populists. That expens
will be only s per cent Of our burdens
while the other 30 per cent will come from
these bonds We have voted from time Il
time for Improvements that we could IL
afford"
Petition for Change of Grade.
President Green reported that Of the 70
front feet signatures on Twenty-fourt
street necessary to change the grade Their
names representing 66s feet had been Sc
cured. and that the remainder would b
secured by next Wednesday. This accom-
plished. the street railway company ha
promised to build its new line to Sout
Omaha from Twenty-fourth and Leaven
worth south across the new viaduct.
A committee comprising Ferdinand HaaI
mann, Henry Wilkie and Louis PeterRo
was appointed to Investigate the stree
lighting question and to secure new lighti
and the erosswalk committee was continue
to do further work.