Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-08-08
Communication

Editor Tribune: have noticed in
the Bismarck Daily Tribune a call
made by our city commission for a
special election to vote on the issue
of $4,000 more bonds in addition to
the $4,000 bonds already voted on,
making the total bond issued for the
erection of piece of luxury, or
monument to the honor Of our presi-
dent of the city commission, $4,000.
Myself tax payer, not dodger
as some in our city, feel that | must
protest against any such foolish ex-
penditure on the part of the city COM
mission, the tax dodgers, and none
tax payers, as a rule are the greatest
boosters in cases of such vital import
ance to force high taxes onto the
property owners in a city, and yet l
notice You will find the tax payers
feeling themselves easy and sound
asleep on election day, while the 9TH
err side seems to be out in body
doing the things to others as they
would not have done unto them.
Voters of the city of Bismarck:
How long are you going to stand for
such moves Of extravagant expendi-
lures, aud feel at ease with your
home made here so to speak for the
future to come, while others are vot-
ing you into slave bondage to the
city for the rest Of your lives, and
then some? Did you ever stop to
think that an auditorium at a cost Of
$4,000 at per cent interest, and
under the state laws a levy will be
made on your taxes for 5 per cent in
terest, that you must raise in 20 years
to pay for that piece of luxury, So
called an auditorium, $4,000 be-
sides all the extra repairing and the
running expense of the building which
will amount to many thousands OF
dollars, all of which you will be oblig-
ed to help raise?
Oh, but the president OF the city
commission and others will say to
you, it will help the city Of Bismarck,
and it will pay for itself, ETC., and
such doses of cheap talk should put
the public % sleep, to wake u3 after
the thing has happened. Yes, that is
easy said by the boosters, but voter
please remember, Mr.. Roosevelt
promised all of the U. S. voters il
they would only vote Mr. Taft into
the White House, Mr.. Taft would car
ry out the Roosevelt policies. Did he
do it for you? All such talk sounds
to me more like nonsense than any
thing else.
What would be willing to call com
mon sense if it were possible at this
time to do, to call for a vote on a
bond issue for the above total amount
proper time comes for the purchase,
or the building of a municipal water
plant which will not only be credit
to the city, but benefit to the resi-
dents Of our city, which know can
be run to pay for ITSELF But you
talk about that and they will tell you
we can not now buy it, or build, on
account of the Water company's fran
chise not being run out, but they at
the same time proceed with all their
might to place such a heavy debt on
our city that when the time comes
like in the past, when we could have
the opportunity to buy or build our
city water plant, then you will hear
them say to you, Mr.. Voter, we can
not buy or build on account Of having
exceeded our city debt limit, and the
consumers must again submit to the
rules and regulations Of the present
water company. How about that, Mr..
Voter? Think it over.
am against being extravagant
even tho you have the power to force
it onto the public, shall be on hand
election day to cast my vote against
any such foolish move. l agree that
it would be nice thing for the city
to have public opera house, but our
city is not in position reasonable, so
to speak, at this time to build and
buy everything some people have Wis
ions of in their dreams while they
have nothing else to do but plan and
boost the city at the public expense,
] for my part feel that we have just
as much right to ask the tax payers
to be forced to build an opera house
as we have to ask them to build for
the city at their expense a public
auto garage, and furnish each voter
Of the city free automobile to ride
in, which / believe would be a good
drawing card for to get outsiders to
move to Bismarck.
Mr.. Editor, I wish to ash you to be