The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-07-02
OUR CITY'S ASSETS.
l Review of the Promises of the City
Commissioners Preceding Their
Election and Induction Into Office.
TO The Caucasian

public questions and matters affect
ing the peoples true and best in
tprpstS, which all your readers
heartily admire, influences me in
Welding to a request for an express
ION of my views upon public mat
trrs.
There can not be a better medium
or find more welcome space than in
your fearless and honest journal.
To do comparative justice to any
review of public Affairs we must re
call the main issues and promises of
thr gentlemen who triumphed over
their rivals through the weight and
sincerity of their promises iterated
and reiterated at public gatherings,
energetic handshakes and personal
solicitation which fortified their
claims for support.
First, an immediate and perma
nont supply of potable water, suit
.bIc for use in all domestic and in
dustriaI purposes, was promised.
Second, a saving of 100000 on the
cost of street paving, and an adjust
ment of the city's financial affairs
to its eenfOrced economic needs to
tide over the deficit caused by cut
Ting off the license on retailing
spirits.
Third a free bridge across Red
river.
These questions were hammered
into the public mind by the candi-
dates and the press, with slighter
reference to the necessity of a
Tstricter enforcement of the prohibi-
ton laws, and more disciplinary su-
pervisiOn over the forces of public
safety.
The press which supported the
commissioners, which included all
but Cosgrove's Weekly, have gener-
ally commended all their acts; while
one assumes official guidance in
some important matters. Notably in
the renewal of contracts for lighting
and gas, etc.
You, Mr.. Editor, took a stand
against the approval of the agree
ments and rates proposed by the
commissioners and aided in effect
ing slight reduction. Apparently
the best that could be secured
! against the set purposes of the com
missioners and their influential
hackers interested.
The commissioners have appar-
emily submitted to the influence and
wishes of those owning our public
utilities to an enten that has aroused
public attention, but not a single
line of censure or even criticism has
appeared in the press. They have
loyalty approved all their acts, with
the exceptions mentioned, although
one of the commissioners suffered
recall instigated by couple of
ex-employes in his department
whose merits he failed to recognize.
Under the circumstances, unless all
our local press recognize the lack
Of judgment and the utter misfits
and plain retrogressiye methods and
acts of the entire body of the com
missioners, there is no use in com
plying with the many requests and
desire for any statement that puts
III in cold type SO that he who runs
may read and understand.
The Water Problem.
We will take the campaign issues
seriatim. FIRST, the water problem.
The predecessors of the present
body had obtained changes in the
sources of supply when the bayou
reservoir shall owing to the intake
and the levees above, had turned
the river current away, that had
kept ii secured to the depth that
furnished the best supply at the
time the contract was made. Be
sides, the growth of the city be
fouled the storm water. This the
company corrected, carried out at
their own expense by damming
Twelve Mile bayou. The change to
the river, which was formerly
avoided on account of mineral i'm
pregnation washed from the gypsum
beds at headwaters. which old
steamboat men also avoided as
much as possible, and which all en-
giileers that had to use the water
knew that it punctured their boiler
flues and covered them so thick
with the scales of sulphate of limo
as 10 quickly reduce their efficiency
10 an extent that required frequent
cleaning.
Facing these facts, their predeees-
sofs grasped the opportunity of Sc
curing the Cross Lake basin to inn
pound storm water coming in large
volume from the least possible field
of contamination. All cities that
are not favored with clear running