CONCERNING SOME MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS
We of Lincoln have so long been boast
ing of a small police force, of big build
ing operations, of civic beauty, and all
that sort of thing, that it would be well,
perhaps, to pause for a little bit and face
a few stern facts. It is quite true that
so far as indebtedness is concerned Lin
coln is better off than almost any city of
equal size in the country. It is also true
that we own our own water works, elec
tric light plant and the nucleus of a park
system. Hut we have too many' crooked
sidewalks, too many jogs in the streets,
no facilities for the proper disposition of
garbage, no public comfort stations, a
city jail that is a disgrace to a civilized
community, an inadequate street rail
way system, an antiquated city charter
and a lack of union depot facilites.
For many years the paving of intersec
tions was paid for out of a special fund
provided for that purpose. This was only
fair, as the intersections were commun
ity property. But the central part of
the city is now well paved and the in
tersections fund is no longer available
because of the limitations of our worn
out charter. After paying for the inter
sections for other property holders for
years, the progressive and thrifty taxpay
ers in the newer parts of the city now
find that they must pay for their own in
tersections an injustice that ought to
be remedied at once. There are several ad
ditions to the city, now well built up, that
are without adequate water supply. This
is due to broken faith on the part of the
city council. The enterprising men who
platted the additions put in service
pipes, the council promising to lay water
mains as soon as there were enough con
sumers to guarantee a revenue. Now the
city refuses to lay the promised water
mains, holding that as the people are
using water from the service pipes they
are already consumers and that there is
therefore no need for the city to go to the
added expense of .new mains. As a re
sult these people who have saved their
money, built their little homes and
added to the taxable wealth of the city,
must either submit to an inadequate
water supply or to the injustice of pay
ing for something that they helped others
to get but are unable otherwise to get for
themselves.
For two years last past we have been
afforded the spectacle of a city adminis
tration mn cli vaunted!' for its progres
siveness failing miserably to remedy the
defects in a charter admittedly bad. Long
on theories, that administration seemed
woefully lacking in practice. A lot of
attention was given "overhead signs"
and "lot line sidewalks," but no success
ful effort was made to give Lincoln char
ter clothes big enough to cover her limbs.
For three years we have been scrap
ping over street railway matters. What
ever the Traction Co. wanted was re
fused, regardless of whether it was de
signed to benefit the public or not. As
a result, whatever the citizens asked for
the Traction Co. declined to give. This
has resulted in an intolerable condition.
The Traction Co. asserts that it can not
finance the improvements it admits are
needed to make the service anywhere
near adequate, and being unable to do
this the people suffer from poor facili
ties. On the other hand the people insist
upon having the improved facilities, and
damn the Traction Co. without stint for
refusing to provide them. Surely some
where between these two extremes lies the
solution of the vexed problem.
Let one thing be made clear in the
Traction squabble. Admitted that the
company is stocked and bonded for far
more than it is worth. There is no dis
puting that point. But the state rail
way commission has fixed the physical
valuation of the property, and it is upon
that situation, and that alone, that the
company is allowed to base its dividends.
The Traction Co. is not trying to pay a
dividend on all the oustanding stock, to
gether with interest on the bonds. That
there was "high financing" in the con
solidation of the two old systems is be
yond dispute, but that was a fight for
control. What should now be done? Will
Maupin's Weekly is willing that the men
who have invested in Traction Co. prop
erty should have a fair return on their
money. It insist, however, that in re
turn for that the Traction Co. shall give
the people a fair service. Traction Co.
owners say they are not getting a fair re
turn. Everybody knows that the service
is not what it should be, and could be
made to be. Surely there is a middle
ground somewhere. Will Maupin's
Weekly suggests a commission to investi
gate and make a report. Merely as a
suggestion we offer the following: Let
the Traction Co. select three commis
sioners, the Commercial Club one, the
Central Labor Union one, the Real
Estate Dealers' Association one and the
Bar Association one. Let these seven
elect two others, neither of whom shall
be interested in any public service cor
poration, one of whom shall be chairman
of the commission. Then let this -o u
missi'on make a thorough examination
of the situation and submit a report.
Neither the public nor the Traction .
would be legally be bound to abide by
the findings of such a commission, brt
the moral obligation would be sufficient,
in our opinion, to compel submission.
Lincoln needs a city charter. The
present charter is a miserable make
shift, a crazy patchwork. The attempt to
frame a charter by representatives of a
lot of different organizations has proved
a failure. A committee of five is big
enough. Let the Commercial Club select
one, the labor . organizations one, the
real estate dealers one, the city council
one, and let the city attorney be the fifth
member. Let those five draw two char
ters one providing for a real commis
sion form of government, the other re
taining the present form. Then let the
people make choice between the two at
an election held for that purpose. Let us
have no more frittering away of time
dealing with this vitally important mat
ter. One of the crying needs of Lincoln
right now is some modern method of dis
posing of city garbage. Will Maupin's
Weekly believes that it is possible to
build a garbage crematory that will not
only dispose of the garbage properly, but
will be a profitable investment for the
city. A lot of fertilizer could be made, a
lot of the garbage would make fuel for
the city lighting plant and waterworks,
a lot of junk could be sold. We believe
we've had committee after committee ap
pointed to investigate and report. All we
have secured has been hot air and theory.
Let us have some facts.
Would it be possible, legally, to limit
the height of buildings in both directions
within any particular area? In other
words, if it would be legal to say that no
building over ten stories high may bes
erected on O street between Ninth and
Twentieth, would it also be possible to
say that no building less than three
stories high may be erected along the
same thoroughfares? If it is possible, in
heaven's name put a stop to the erection
of the ugly, dinky, unsightly little one
story shacks that are spring up every
where! Will Maupin's Weekly is for a "Lin
coln Beautiful," of course but there are
a lot of people here who could give more
thought to the beautiful if there were
more business being done whereby they
could make fair livings. The jobless man
with a family to support is not worrying
much about the beautiful. With a "Lin
coln Busyful" for a few years we would
be in better shape to talk about "Lincoln
Beautiful."
We can stand for overhead signs and
protruding show cases for a little while,
if only we are doing business and pro
viding jobs and enabling the people to
live well.
Above all things, let us quit talking so
much, quit quarrelling so much, quit ex
hibiting so many petty jealousies, quit
knocking when things don't go our way
and all get together for once on a cam
paign of a "Bigger, Broader, Busier
Lincoln."