Semi-weekly herald., 1913-03-31
TO LEGAL VOTERS OF THE CITY
OF DURANGO.

VT Dohft4Nuo.
AS there has been of late somewhat
of an insistance that the candidates
for commissioners under the cnarter
adopted by the citizens of Durango
present a platform for their consid-
Grafton. will state that if ele ted
will sc,vc the interest of the city
to tie best of my ability and use my
inflntEce for the transaction of its
business IN u business-like manner,
with due iegf rd to efficiency and econ
omy, striving to carry out the in:ent
aad cpjec, Of the charter and enforce
its provisions and its ordinances for
the government of the city. / believe
the water system constitutes the most
vital and important question that con-
fronts us. That the pipeline can and
should be replaced in detail without
increasing the tax rate. | am conf
ment is made this year and continued
at the rate of mile each year. By
so doing in a few years the line
can be replaced without the taxpayers
being unnecessarily burden. Unless
such action is taken within n very
few years the pipe line will go out in
many places and will result in very
heavy. expense that will have to be
met by flat tax as bonds cannot be
issued. for the maintenance Of wa
ter system.
The bonded Indebtedness of Duran
go, which is of proportions to excite
the, most lively apprehension of all
thinking taxpayers, demands the most
careful and earnest consideration.
When one considers that the bonded
Indebtedness of the city is 1921, 900;
that the taxpayers have paid nearly
S295.000 of interest and that but
$4,000 of the principle has been paid
on the present bond issue and that in
five years time the S150,000 bond is
sue Of 1903 will mature; and in one
year after the $105,000 bond is
sue will also mature; that not one
dollar has been paid on either issue
it should convince the thinking tax
payer that Durango needs good bust
ness management Of its financial af-
fairs. The general financial condi-
tions under which we have labored for
some years and are still laboring un-
der and which promise to continue for
an indefinite period of time have not
been and are not at all encouraging
Il is as certain as anything can pos
sibly be that unless the financial af.
fairs Of the city are well managed
when the said bonds mature and must
be refunded, they will not be re-
funded at the rate of interest the
present issue bears. Some portion Of
the $105000 has been refunded severa
times with no payment of principle
which is a bad condition in fnancia
transactions. In the conduct of the
business affairs of the city the citi
zens and taxpayers have no contro
over the commissioners acting within
the appropriations, hence the import
ance of the foregoing statements
Now as to the municipal affairs Of
which so much is being made by som'
of our citizens just at this time ant
which are entirely within the con
troll of the legal voters Of the city
Two years ago an effort was made II
secure commission government for th'
city of Durango, that the government
of the city might be placed in th'
control of the people, and after tw'
very hard fought political battles
against open and secret opposition, tn
friends of government by commission
were successful, and charter wa
adopted giving the citizens the powe
oe the initiative, referendum and re
call, hence any commissioner VIII
within his department does not carr.
out the provisions of the charter o
enforce its ordinances may be removes
from office with little difficulty. an
any ordinance that the majority o
the legal voters desire may be mi
tiated and its enforcement compelled
Therefore SO much protestation a
we have seen in the papers, by par
ties who were conspicuous by thei
absence from the ranks Of the work
ers for the commission form Of gov
ernment seems quite out of place
Had government by commission TO
Durango depended upon the effort
of such men, the old inefficient war
system would have continued to gov
em Durango for all time. ! am !
favor Of public improvements - fai
NJ tha AuoueiaI coud{kinns II, khA eft