The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-09
Spirit of the Press
Charlotte is All Right.

L
mates a million dollars, and the
tax rate is pretty high. The tax
payers are certainly entitled to
financial statement from the re-
firing administration. The streets
are in a worse condition than they
have been for years, and if there
is anything in the way of perman-
ent improvements to show for the
expenditures of money, the people
would be glad to have it pointed
out. Objection is made that 1T
would be too expensive to publish
the exhibit, but there should be
better reason than this, for there
is no telling what the cost would
be unless sealed bids were invited.
This reminds us of an incident of
a year or two ago The publica-
ton of the financial statement OF
the school board was asked for.
1t was first objected that nobody
would read it, The objection hav-
ing been overcome, bids for the
publication were invited and that
of the Evening Chronicle was the
lowest. In face of the claim that
nobody would read the statement,
it was awarded to another paper
on the ground that The Chronl-
Gle is not read!
Neither The Observer nor The
Chronicle wants the city financial
exhibit, neither being dependent
upon public patronage, but the
pupils is entitled to it, just the
same, and it should be published
somewhere"
While not desiring to mix up ques-
ton of public policy with personal
matter, it might be said that the OBJ
servers implication that The News is
a partner in the graft of which it ac-
cuses the city authorities would be q
sufficient justification for reply Oh
course any newspaper man and any
business man knows that the value OF
an advertisement depends upon the
circulation of the paper containing II
among the people whom the adVer>
tisement is designed to reach. Natur-
ally therefore a higher bid for publ
cation by The News would be of more
value relatively than lower bid by
the Chronicle or the Observer. for the
people of Charlotte read The News.
The Peoples Paper or the Charlotte
Gazette might make lower bid than
the Chronicle, and the advertiser
might still be justified in giving an
advertising contract to the Chronicle.
The Observer is simply pointing the
finger of indication at the sore of dis
appointment and inviting the attention
of a wondering world.
But will the Observer reflect upon
it's course for a moment. Several
weeks ago Mayor Brown published an
interview in the Observer, which we
reproduce today i'm another column
The Observer states that the tax-rate
of the city of Charlotte is high. That
is certainly a bid for business immi-
grafton to our city. But what are the
facts that it published in its own coll
umns a few weeks ago? That Char
lotte, with property tax of $1.0O and
a poll of $500, has 81 smaller tax rate
than Asheville Durham, Greensboro,
Raleigh, Salisbury. Wilmington, or
even the smaller towns, such as Con-
cord and Gastonia. 1t is evident, there
fore, that as compared with other
North Carolina cities the taN-ratc of
Charlotte is not high but low. To say
that it is high for PARTISAN reasons is
an injury to the city for very small
cause. The Observer may regret that
the city has been voting the opposite
way from it's teachings and desires for
the last six years with depressing mon
otony. But that is no justification for
such an attack upon the real interests
of the city as a place of business and
of residence for men of enterprise or
home-seekeTs.
With regard to the city's debt of
nearly million dollars. 1t is time it
were being plainly said that a full
water works system that the city haG
to give up in six years time. The
price paid for the old water works
system, and the Observer advocated
the sale, being in with that admin
istration, was $226,0Q0. 1t was worth
perhaps 100000 on a conservative es-
innate. 1t is sufficient to compare the
old system with the new and to re-
member that the new cost 100000
and is planned for many years to
come, to demonstrate to any one which
was the better bargain for the city.
AS to the justification of the latest
issue of bonds the reader is referred
to Mayor Browns statement already
published in the Observer, mind you.
in which there is certainly something
to show by way of permanent i'm
proVements for the expenditures of
money" above the value of the bond
issue.
And we desire to say to the public
outside of Charlotte, what the Char
lotte people already know, that Char
lotte is all right. We have Il clean
city, a clean city government, city
that is as free from evil institutions
as any in the land, a progressive city
with progressive business men in
charge of its affairs, a city of homes
and schools and churches instead of
city of bar rooms and gambling
dens and other haunts of vice. There
is nothing at all the matter with
Charlotte, the Observer and few 9TH
er sore-heads to the contrary notwith-
standing and if we are not mistaken
the patriotic people of Charlotte who
read that editorial this morning re-
called the old proverb beginning ITS
an i'll bird
1t will be seen by the article else
where that the city treasurer has been
instructed to prepare a statement of
receipts and disbursements for publ
cation at an early date. The admins
tration has nothing to conceal and it
will be a good precedent to set to
others, among the many good things
that this administration has accom-.
plished. And its publication will put
the issue hunters in another hole OF
their own digging.
Charlotte is all right and the retiring
administration deserves the thanks OF
the people for capable and honest ad-
ministration of it's affairs.
Not the Spirit of the Peerless Lee.
Weekly.
Some of the Virginia Camps of Con-
federate veterans have taken action to
the effect that they will not attend the