The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-05-05
THE MAYORS SECOND MESSAGE

THE MAYORS SECOND MESSAGE
Yesterday morning The Bulletin
gave a very full synopsis of Mayor
Winters second message TO the city
council. The synopsis left little to
be told of what the mayor had read.
except by way Of ampiiication which
would add nothing to its value The
message was not lacking in interest
or in merit, for It touched upon nearly
all the important matters which mad
been discussed before the people dur
ing the year, especially just before the
election. ana II contained some excel
lent recommendation for the city
council The mayor urged public I'M
provements, betterment in the fire
departments, extensive changes In the
sewer system of the city. new drain
age pump, an electric lighting plant,
the enforcement of lower rates for
gas he thought the people endorsed
his attitude on some of these ques-
tions at the polls recently, and that
the opposition to him, which manifest
cd itself in the city council and else
where, was emphatically condemned
by them. He expresses the hope that
he will now have the hearty co-opera-
tion and the good will of all in an ef'
fort to promote the general welfare q
the community.
Taken as a whole, the message is
very good one perhaps quite as
good as that which he delivered to the
council about year before except
in one important particular. 1t may be
merely an oversight. but il looks like
design. There Is not word In the
message of three columns long, about
the financial condition of the city.
This was quite remarkable omission
at this time and in view Of all the cir
cumstances. Surely statement CIV
ing some important details under this
head was In order: comparative
statement showing wherein anil TO
what extent the city is now better sit
uated, or worse, than II was year
ago, when his administration began.
Other mayors as well as the people
generally, have always regarded this
as the most important feature OF these
messages, because, in municipal gov.
ernment as in private life, the condi-
tion of the exchequer Is always the
most reliable Indicator Of good or bad
management of affairs Other may
ors have never failed TO point with
lust pride To a comparative state
ment. showing improvement In the fl
nancial condition Of the city-a re-
duced bonded debt, a smaller floating
debt, a nearer approach to municipal
solvency: also indicating what
might be expected and what might be
done in the coming fiscal year with
proper economy in the administration
And Mayor Winter did not himself
overlook this important point in his
FIRST message TO the city council, al.
though the statement he then made
was not very full and he expressed
regret that the city's financial con.
dition and needs precluded the hope
Of acquiring municipal lighting
plant. etc. Why the mayor entirely
ignores the subject in his second mes
sage to the council is therefore not
easily understood by those not in his
confidence.
II might he inferred that as the
mayor now urges the council to es-
tabish municipal lighting plant. re
construct the sewer system Of The
city, put in an additional drainage
pump. inaugurate street improve
meuts. part of the cost of which shall
be paid out of the public treasury
one might infer from all these
recommendation which necessarily
involve very heavy expenditures Of
money, that there has been a vast
Improvement in the city's finances
during one short year but such an
enference is certainly not borne out
by the fact stated in the comptrol
lers report which was submitted t.
the council simultaneously with the
mayors message. that the general
fund from which all money for the
expenses of the city government
must come, was considerably over
drawn does such an Inference
find confirmation in the fact that. fol
two months past, the city's ordinary
running expenses have been pal,
With interest bearing anticipation
warrants. drawn against next year,
revenue
because Of a press Of other i'm
pcriant matters this must conclud,
the first Of short series Of articles
upon this important subject
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