The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-09-18
~ur soNp,Nc ORDINANCE AND
THE MAYORS VETO ..-...s.

nj 4 O'Clock 10 cOnsiuoA INC DoA A7
ordinance and the mayors Veto, S.
so far as the editor OF this paper
l. concerned he will say in the outset
:, these remarks that he is no more
,nterested in the passage of the bond
inc ordinance than the average, ordi-
- citizen who is desirious of the
osneral welfare of the city and its
nrogress along all lines of develop
ment. #h@F a'%- ~>'.@ !" @A<
II may be said without argument
that public Improvements cannot be
made without the expenditure of pub
lie funds. a
.Neither private nor public improve
ments make themselves.
The first objection the mayor
makes in his message is that this sis
not an opportune time
When is an opportune time?
When the fires of the revolution
arv war were being kindled, those
who wanted to quench the flames put
forth the same plea.
II was then that that great patriot.
Patrick Henry, arose in the majesty
NJ his power and in the emergency of
the hour, and said:
"They tell US, sir, that we are weak
but when shall we be stronger?
viii it be the next week, or the next
wear? Will it be when we are totally
disarmed, and when a British guard
shall be stationed in every house?
Shall we gather strength by irresolu-
ton and inaction? Shall we acquire
the means of effectual resistance by
living supinely on our backs, hugging
the delusive phantom of hope to our
breasts until our enemies shall have
MS hound hand and root? Sir, we are
not weak, If we make the proper use
Of those means which the God OF
nature hath placed in our power"
These words of this mortal patriot
ought to burn into the hearts OF our
people. e
Time not opportune-why is it not
opportune? 1t is the golden opportun'
it.. 1t a
People are now out of employment
and if it is possible for the municipal
ity to give them employment it is the
duty of the municipality to do so.
When men are hungry it is time
for them to be fed-nOt when they
have an abundance.
These public improvements can be
built now more economically than
at any other time, and they will do
more good now than at any other
time.
If these bonds were payable at
sight it would be another matter, but
they run for a period of thirty years.
The mayor also urges that great
difficulty would be experienced in
floating the bonds, but that is to be
determined, and if they cannot be
foated no injury will have been done.
But We take the opposite position.
We think that it is an opportune time
to float them for the reason that rail
road bonds and bonds of similar des-
cription are under the ban and state
and municipal bonds are eagerly
sought for by persons in possession
of great wealth.
The next objection of the mayor
is that the bonds have been punched
and the voter is deprived of his OPP
ton of voting one way on one charac-
ter of bonds and a different way for
bonds for some other purpose. But
this plea is hardly tenable because
the bonds for the equipment of the
electric light plant are made separate,
they are not punched with any other
bonds, and they likewise meet with
the mayors disapproval.
The next objection is that the
bonds for municipal ice plant may
be pronounced unconstitutional.
This provision in the bonding ordi-
nance was done at the suggestion of
the mayor-it tracked the very word
ing of his message.
The precedent has been established
at Fernandina and on a measure so
progressively radical it is reason
able to believe that the council
thought that the mayor had sought
and obtained legal advice on the sub
lect and of course the council would
not have made it part of the ordi-
nance had it not first obtained the
sanction of the city attorney as to its
constitutionality. - ~:ste
The next objection is that the ordi-
nance provides that the city may in
vest the moneys raised by taxation
1or the redemption or payment of the
oonds in paving certificates.
AS is now the custom the monies
raised for the retirement of bonds