The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1943-04-20
PRIVILEGE OF SAYING Eyes"


cussing the proposal for Key West to
take over the Key West Electric Company,
declare that it would be good thing" if
it will be kept out of politics.
But will it be kept out of politics? No
body can answer positively questions that
pertain to the future, but everybody right
fully can reach conclusions about the flu.
ture by basing them on past performances.
And what are the past performances
of the city government? We need but 90
back six months to light on one of them
The city had sizeable bank balance.
most unusual thing in the history of Key
West. And what happened?
Sundry city employees, aided and abet-
ted by the city councilmen, with one excep-
ton, tried to raise their legally set salaries.
Thwarted in that attempt by The Citizen,
they then tried to thrust their hands into
the city treasury through the medium of
relief payments, and again a docile city
council aided and abetted them But again
The Citizen brought to halt the relief
sidestepping. And now some. of the relief
seekers, after duly advertising in The Citi-
zen at the cost of the city, are appealing TO
the legislature to give them relief ard to
make It retroactive
"Not so good" is what the man-on-the-
street would say about the city's past per-
formances. But let us overlook that phase
CT the question, and let's be fair to the
mayor and the councilmen, insisting only
that they be fair to the people of Key West
in the proposal to buy the electric company
To lead up to that fairness a few ques-
items must be asked at first
WHY was no notice given to the peo-
pie of Key West that a meeting was to be
held to consider the electric company mat
ter?
2.-Why was the meeting continued till
o'clock in the morning, and why was an
other meeting held at o'clock in the morn
ing to pass the ordnance, proposing the pur-
chase Cf the company, on its second read
ing? In answering this question, it should be
borne in mind that the regular time to open
the City Hall is 9 o'clock
3.-Why was it proposed to issue reve-
nue. bonds, on which the vote of the people
would not be required, despite the fact that,
in the final analysis, the bonds are lien on
their real property
4.-Why did the mayor and the coun-
cilmen. on this exceedingly important mat
ter, fail to take the people into their conf
dence?
5.-Why the need for the rush in the
dead hours of the night and an hour before
the City Hall was due to be opened?
eff the deal is masterpiece" as
one of its proponents blares, why wasn't the
people given at least an mixing that the
masterpiece was impending?
Now, let us say that the mayor and the
councimen are actuated only by the lofty
feeling of promoting the interests of the city
in acquiring possession of the company, yet
as they are only seven men of more than 81
500 owners of realty in Key West, don't they
think the right thing for them to do is to
let majority of those $500 say whether
or not the company should be bought?
Probably their answer will be Eyes,
even though the likelihood is that politics
will creep into the operation of the COM
pany, but isn't it fair and just to accord
them the privilege of saying Yes?