The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-02-19
Calling Attitude Of Alder
men Who Live for Office.
EXTENSION DISGRACE
Mass Meeting May Speak TO Lcgi@id-
tor Who Made Secret Trade
The Force OF the Police Com
miSSon-TirceOmc Expert
cncc With New Wrinkles.
cncc With New Wrinkles.

cncc With New Wrinkles.
In the interest Of a remnant Of city
pride, il is pleasant 10 reflect that q
long sleep sometimes stores up
strength. Raleigh has been misgoV-
erned. laziIy governed, selfishly gov
erned for Il long, long time. The city
has taken it-laziIy. The better people
have only occasionally been taken with
. passing sDasm Of energy. have
growled and, civically, gone back %
sleep. If it We're not for the TACT that
the very few who take tho interest -
run this city and who are, naturally,
the least competent to run it, are APT
TO nvrfdo their confidence III an easy
thing and ii quiet enjoyment OF Il
smooth job, the case would be without
hope. Some day the few who run the
city are going to pun the spurs a tribe
too deep into a willing horse-and
somebody viii make the acquaintance
Of the bottom of the ditch.
May the destiny Of the city send
his deliverance. cen if it comes at
the price which those who neglect
their business mus always find they
have paid When they take stock. It
is not without probability entirely,
that the day may have come. The
people Of the city who read the pro-
ceedingS Of Friday nights meeting OF
the Board of Aldermen We're in q
healthy state of Indignation yesterda.t.
If just the necessary extra kick or 50
is given they may get really mad.
That would be a happy contamination.
Fol years Raleigh has been the butt
Of ridicule from other North Carolina
cities, on account of it's laisseZ faire
way Of doing everything bad or good.
Everybody has not been asleep o has
everybody been content. In fact a
majority have had definite ideas as tt
what was wanted, The lack has been
a man or two of force to consider it
worth his own While to quit his own
business for q while for the public
business. But, as a whole, the people
have grown very quiet and very lazily
cynical. Experience has been such as
to leave nothing to do but give a
shrug. We have shrugged and passed
on.
Proper Extension Denied.
City extension has been a dream
held by many of the people of Raleigh,
by the majority of people. The city
has been hurt and misrepresented by
its lack. The impression that "Ra-
leigh" is a place of fifteen thousand
inhabitants, is an abSurdity to the man
who lives in Raleigh, but he is tired
of explaining. But when the effort
has been made to expand, to put with
in the city in theory what is really
within it in fact, cabals have stood in
the way and the part of the city that
had the direct interest in the matter
has become very much awake. Conse-
quently there has been no extension.
The last time the project was defeat
ed, it was tacitly understood that it
would cOlne this year.
The Board of Aldermen looked over
the matter and the result of the alder
manic wisdom was an extension pro-
posed of one quarter of q mile in three
directions, That was worse, far
verse than no extension. The
Chamber of Commerce and other
q real reform. AS it was pro-
posed the extension was seen to be
drawn n the interests Of certain partic-
ular individuals and corporations Just
outside the corporate limits proposed.
who desire to be in the town and not
of it; who are willing to achieve pros
perity and not contribute to its costs.
When the Aldermen were criticised
and rldlculed, n or two of them
made defense of their action by Il
unique declaration to the effect that
they understood that the extension
proposd was all that the Wake legis-
lators would allow; that q legislator
or LEGISLATORS representing this county
had made promises in The primary to
the certain interests aforementioned.
WHO QlQ not desire TO become Il part
of the capital city: hat one or more
of the members were reported IL
nave signed q written pledge when
the aforesaid interests would not take
their oral promise; that the said leg
islators were elected with this under
standing, and owed this distinct obj
cation.
A MOnstrouS Suggestion.
That such an excuse should have
been made, shows the easy temper OF
this GOOD Old, slow old city of Raleigh.
Any other community would fly into
fame at such a suggestion. It is d
monstrous charge in the first place
and a more monstrous assumption in
the second. Ia it could be sug-
gested without heat and acted on Off
cially shows how far the Aldermen
hin the city has. sunk into insensi-
bility. The idea that because one man
or two men. or two or three orpora
tons do not desire to come into tne
city they should b. able to secretly
pledge popular representatives in ad-
ance to disregard the popular
wishes for the sake of q job in chs
Legislature indicates a condition
which Woul be alarming if it dii
not exist, if it could not be contem-
plated calmly in Raleigh. Every one
knows that the extension proposed
would be worse than a farce. In Ch7
first place it would mean the contin-
uance of the agitation for a larger
city, whereas. q proper extension
would settle it for ten years or more
If it came. as the Aldermen propose
it wOuld merely mean unrest. Il
would still discourage industries arC
factories which MIGHT desire to CONS
to Raleigh, because they would bt
uncertain of their bargain. They
might be buying into trouble at the
start. In addition and more impor-
tant and fundamental is the fact tina
the proposed extension would bt
treating the few people taken in IN
fairly in that they would be denied the
help which they ought rightfully t
receive from Others who are also Sc
located as to njoy the advantages o
the city and to W it the duty .
support. When this prOpoed debauch
ment of a popular civic movement be
came known. it was pleasant to Sc,
that there was indignation l
is more pleasant to see 1T grow. Il
believe that it may take command c
the situation.
The City Extension Lines.
AS to the limits to be fixed. this pa