The Sentinel=record., 1914-04-05
HARD, PLAIN FACTS.

The United States government is now, and has been for some years, playing dog in the manager" with the most important health resort in the whole of the worl1.
 The government, when it found the hot waters of this resort were of es- pecial advantage in the healing of the sick and afflicted reserved for itself the permanent ownership of the prop erty from which the hot waters flow.
 Then the government made an ar rangement to get along in the man. agement of the resort on break even" basis, so the resort would not cost anything. In brief it made lease assessments that would keep the resort on the profit side of the ledger and then forgot the resort.
 Had private corporation of Ameri cans owned this resort or the prop. erty from which the hot waters flow the city would have been quite diff ferent But the government inter fered and held for it's own something that it neither has prized or would let others prize.
 The United States government is collecting leases from lease holders, and is looking to this municipality to provide those lease holders with ad' vantages that must be secured or their leases would be worthless
 There is no sewage or drainage pro- vided here by the government for the government lease holders. The gov ernment looks to this little munich pality for police and fire and health protection, and the government col lects it's tolls from lease holders and from visitors wao enjoy these benefits.
 Every attitude of the United States government towards Hot Springs is a selfish one. We do not believe the government has designedly interfered with Hot Springs, but it's neglect has been almost as criminal as if it had been designed.
 Before this congress there will be presented, if we are lucky, an appro' priation item which would provide the city with a drainage system that would save our people from injury from the floods of water that pour off the reservation mountains.
 Hot Springs should not have to bes for the approval of that appropriation item. It is something that the gov ernment owes to itself to perform. The United States government is in- terested in health conditions. It has no right to invite people who are sick and afflicted here and then fail to provide for them suca surroundings as will help them,
 The time has come when Hot Springs should no longer sit idly by and beg for the things this resort needs. The things that 1t is proper for the municipality to supply we either have supplied or are making an earnest effort to supply. We should let our visiting population, composed of Americans from every quarter, know something of govern ment neglect, that the situation may be so forcefuly brought to the atten- tion of congress as to bring relief.
 We look to politicians, and we look to the influence of public men, but in the final analysis of the case the criticism and the responsibility falls on the United States government. and there it must rest. A government that is interested in building parks and in providing play grounds and in doing other big things this govern. men is now doing, can we'll afford to give some attention to the only spot in the nation where people look to restoration from sickness and afflic- tion.