The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1911-01-28

On last Monday evening a Mass
Meeting was held at the City Hal
for the purpose to inanguratiDg a
movement for and to awaken IN
tereS, in proposition to pave the
streets Of this city and to put III
sanitary sewerage. Mr.. f. NJ
WEIGH took the initiative in the
matter and got out he call. Then
he visited the principal business
men Of this place requesting thelr
signatures to the call. There were
very few who withheld Their
I names.
AZ the appointed hour, 80,
there were very few in the hall
and it looked very much like the
meeting would prove a failure;
but as matters progressed the
crowd grew till there was very
representative gathering on hand
Mayor }. S. Power called the
meeting to order and announced
the speakers.
Mr.. +. NJ. Welch was the first
speaker announced aud in very
PLAIN language he LAID before the
people Of this city their duty to
thcmselves--as he saw It.
He declared his intention
to "knock," and knock hard
but he did not knock away
from home. He pointed TO the
great possibilities Of this section,
and New Iberia especially, dec'ar
ing it possessed Of natural advan
tages Of the greatest promise-yet
this people were procrastinating
in the doing Of things tor them
selves till they were dropping far
behind other leading towns in the
State, when New iberia should be
a pace maker. lie plead with the
audience to stop waiting, to awake
and do something for themselves
and this fair city; to stop dehec
tions from our population to other
progressive points, and to begin
attracting greater population to
this place. lie said the dust Of
dry seasons and the mud Of wet
spells were enough to disgust
strangers within our gates. That
We would never rid ourselves Of
these ills till we paved the streets.
Sewerage is mark Of progressive
civilizatiOn-its absence in city
Of this size was not a credit to the
people. The day was at hand
when New iberia must build and
90 ahead, or ii should fence itself
in. He declared the city p1acti-
cally without debt, and then asked
the audience "what is the city's
present indebtednesss' to which
Councilman r. +. Rlbbeck replied,
10000" No one contested the
off hand information given by the
Councilman, and the speaker pro
ceeded to argue for bond issue
of a couple Of hundred thousand,
maturing IN 40 years. He con
tended that with paved streets
and the inst tallation of a sewerage
system we would have chance OF
locating here some Of the desirable
settlers who were coming south to
make their homes.
Mr.. l.. +. Dulaney followed, de
claring his belief in the feasibility
of the schemes proposed and that
the city was fully competent finan-
cialIy to undertake such improve
ments. Other cities we're doing it
and it was not creditable Of this
people to longer delay the under
taking.
Mr.. z. II. Burke was the next
to address the meeting. He came
forward with a decided air Of re.
luctance, after laying aside his
overcoat, and thus prepared for
the fray proceeded at once in vIg-
orOus manner and emphatic terms
TO pay his respects to the business
people of this community, calling
attention to their absolute want OF
interest IN those things calculated
for the betterment Of the town.
1t was both regretable and depIo-
rable. Whatever may be the rea
sons for this condition of the pub-
lie mind, it was quite apparent TO
the obser. er Of the trend Of affairs
that the development Of the city
was being stifled. He charged
that almost every business man OF
this city had some pet view OF
what should be done, or what poll
Icy should be pursued, but they
were noted for their absence from
all public gatherings where meas.
ures were proposed or discussed.
nl~:. hoI6sou olnnf eeosIn mat 5006a,