Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-11-18
AMERICUS WANTS
PRACTICAL MEN,
To Administer Her Business
Affairs.
is A SERIOUS ONE.
Only Capable Business Men Should
Be Chosen to Manage the City s
Business-Time Has Come For Vo.
ters to Put Them Forward.

Just now the voters of Americas are
called upon to elect three members OF
council, and with the possibility OF
numerous candidates for the Office the
task is going to be difficult one. The
Times. kecorder hopes and trusts that
tue people may make no mistake in Sc
Letting men to administer their affairs
doing the next year.
If there ever was a time when
Americans only should be put on
guard" that time is the present, when
the affairs of the city seem to be in q
condition far from satisfactory.
It is the time when the advice and
assistance of safe and conservative
business men is needed.
It is not the time for buffoonery, of
reckless voting for incompetents mere
ly upon the plea of friendship or the
'he's a good fellow" idea. The prop
erty of the people of Americus will be
in the hands of the men elected to
Office. The city needs builders now
and not wreckers, business men and
not ''jolIy good fellows"
This latter class are all right on a
''night out" or possum hunt; they
would make poor apologies in looking
after the city 8 interests.
Good men can be induced to offer for
office if they believed the voters would
look at the matter seriously and elect
men to council who would regard the
interests of the city.
This year the city tax rate has been
raised to the very extreme limit allow
ed by law; special taxes in addition are
onerous; salaries of some of the en-
ployes were cut to the lowest; all pub
lie improvements were abandoned, and
yet IN the face of all this, the eyerlast-
ing cry goes up for more money.
To the layman it seemed that the city
should be in good financial condition
and the tax rate reduced rather than
increased.
Last year the tax rate was $13 per
81, 900; the city, floating Indebtedness
was wiped out with the $13, 900 paid by
the saloons as q special tax. This
year the saloons pay $12, 900 additional;
the police department turns So, 500 or
SO, 900 into the city treasury, and yet
the rate is popped up to $15.
Where is the logic in such show
ing? Where is the end to come in such
financiering?
If mistakes have been made, let the
public know of it. It is the peoples
business after all, and they certainly
have right to know.
The Times-R Recorder has no cand
date or set OF candidates, but as
property owner and taxpayer, and as
the guardian of the public veal, it
does want to see good men, good bust
ness men, put in positions of trust and
responsibility.
The government of city is perhaps
more important to that city that is the
government of a stale to the people at
large. Results, good or bad, are more
quickly observed in city; they come
more directly under the personal OBJ
servatlon of the citizen. The progress
sive, we'll governed city is that city
whose people take an active interest in
their municipal affairs.
No town is so small that it should be
left to ''run ITSELF"
No municipal officers should be per-
mltted to escape responsibility for
their stewardship. No town can afford
to have fgureheads in Office if it is am
bilious. It would be vastly more
profitable to pension the fgurehead
and employ an active business man ito
push the city's interest.
Let the people of Americus take this
matter to themselves and consider it.
The position is perilous, and they must
act with caution.