Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-09-05
THAT CITY HALL.


business of creating scare-crow and
then giving public exhibitions, showing
how dexteriously il can destroy them
The past week it produced an en-.
usually fine scare-crow, labeled il
democrats trying to steal a march on
the republicans, build a new city hall
and thereby gain prestige" it then
proceeded to tear it into shreds. The
Record subsequently admitted the
nature of the whole affair.
In the first place the democrats
could not carry out the scheme OF
building new city hall, as concocted
by the Record, because the city council
has republican majority. In the
second place if there had been any
truth in the statement, the Recor6
would have kept quiet, for any set o.
men who would, by intrigue, take
money from the city treasury for &
purpose other than for that which il
was collected from the people, OF
borrow for a special purpose, would
encompass the defeat of any party to
which it belonged. The Record know
ing this, simply worked up the scare
crow that it might have the fun o.
knocking it down and jumping upon it
There happened to be few citizens
who, by accident, met at the city hall
and they happened to be democrats
during their pleasant social converse
the city hall might have been men
toned, and-that's all there was to it.
AS to the question of a new city hall
| it might be opportune, as citizen anC
| taxpayer, to say word in the matter
do not think there are but very few in
our city at this time who would serious
ly advocate the building of new city
hall and those few might do so fol-
selfish motives. For years it has beer
the custom to say uncomplimentary
| things about our present city hall build
| ing, to the effect that it is placed il
a mud-hole; that it is in the midst O
railroads and that the noise from thu
engines is such that one cannot make
himself heard that it is a poorly con
| structed affair, etc. There has really
been very little excuse for this kind o
| talk, but it has had the effect of leading
many to suppose that the people o
| Wausau as a whole were anxious for {
new city hall This is all wrong. |
| the voters of Wausau were called upor
| today to decide whether or not they
wanted new city hall at cost of from
$4,000 to $4,000, they would very
emphatically vote down the PROPOSE
ton. In heavens name, are not thu
taxpayers of Wausau carrying a heavy
| load enough at present with the neces
sary things without piling on those
that are unnecessary What sense
would there be in building city hal
now, and establish a sinking fund tc
| pay for it? Haven't we had enough
experience with sinking funds in the
past A beautiful, magnificent city
hall is one of the things that a city car
do without until such a time as its
finances will fully warrant such lux
ury.
Our city hall can be made to answer
all purposes for many years to come
A few hundred dollars will put it in
good repair. A little paint, oil, etc.
will make its interior presentablt
and proper care will make it as clean
and habitable as any building in the
city. 1t has stood at the foot of Wash
ington street for about twenty years
and the people can stand it for while
longer, especially as the public library
and city park is to be at its very door
and, further, that there is said to be q
movement on foot on the part of the
railroads to do their switching else
where than in that neighborhood. The
city has use for all the money it can
raise during the next ten years in prop.
erly paving the streets, making neces.
sary additions to the water works
system, keeping up the city schools
and other things that are urgent and
necessary in progressive, up-to- date
city.
Should anything come up before the
council on this matter its duty is plain
let it be referred to a vote of the peo
pie. 1t can keep until the next city
election. There is absolutely nothing
urgent in the building of $4,000 city
hall, in fact, to saddle the expense, or q
part of it, on to the taxpayers at this
time would show mighty poor sense
and prove little less than calamity.
CITIZEN