American telegraph., 1851-05-24
Communicated
L YES RIG HIT!


[Communicated.]
EYES RIGHT! ..
In recent exposure Of the violation of the
common law, as connected with the rights of
owners on the line of q street running down to
the water, the friends of late surveyor insist,
AMI not without reason, that he is not to be
held responsible as it were particeps criminis for
any alterations of the line Of canal us appro-
priated for by Congress and the corporation for
deepening and cleansing, while he is to suffer
as victim for not doing all that might have
been expected. Let the first proper step us to
g nuisance" be taken, and the public attention
kept fixed, there is not shndow of doubt as to
sundry violations of common law where free
holders are debarred the free use of street
and stream. But what greater nuisance in
municipal affairs can be inflicted than that laws
for general government are to be treated as q
dead letter. whether in a spirit of negligence or
in one of mistaken favor? Upon no point are
the people becoming more alive than upon this
that by one of their servants, from the highest
to the lowest, either openly by trucking, OF
covertly by management, through third persons
will the march of public Improvement be per-
mitted longer to be arrested with impunity. Al
| the proper time, if such practices obtain to the
detriment Of citizens rights, two tolerably we'll
iilIOTWeQ ITccuOiucTS VIII pTcscHG u llSt VI GASES
of infraction, which may remain or be suffered
experience Of one viii not fail to cause pause
and reflection, while the course of the other
will demonstrate his responsibility in every
point to any artful dodger, who may be made
to feel that others are really not as blind as he
may have imagined.
Leaving the low point Of one street, which
seems to be case settled by public opinion,
the writer deems it duty to draw public at
tention to the extended Improvements in the
neighborhood Of L and NJ Streets and to ask
that public to pass down the west side Of
Twelfth street, and wonder how it is that,
while portion of pavement and tagging is on
the east side Of the street. towards those Streets
where there are comparatively few houses built,
on the ,cest side the pavement stops ut the noto-
rious X street. 1t is certain that those who
took in their fences had signed for the same,
and several near X street, north, have been
incommoded for years. And now, the reason:
Seven feet of the pavement line on Twelfth
street, at the east end Of Franklin Row, is en-
closed without property authority" as dis
closed by the United States engineer; and the
sort Of authority claimed to enclose and retain
has never been exhibited, for the simple reason
that it is known that the then surveyor who
indicated certain slopes, as per order, did so
under protest, as his deputy in the Treasury
building and one Of the building contractors
would be qualified in open court
But again-as the original plat-books in the
city surveyors Office show that but FIVE feet
open areas were allowed to the fronts of houses,
and that, subsequently to the erection of Frank
lin Row, in 1882, the width was extended but
one foot, how is it that seven feet above ground
are yet retained, while a ragged pavement is
kept for the adornment of that elevated and
gaseous region? 1t is the duty of the Mayor
to order in the line Of the board fence, ut all
events, when he knows that the people of the
coterminous portions Of the square demand it.
If the owners cannot afford to put up wall on
Twelfth street. let them board in and prop up
to their hearts content-only let them not con-
tinue to invade the line of sight and of passage.
1t is neither asked nor expected of the Mayor
to interpose where many and vigorous efforts
have been and will continue to be exerted 10
sustain the right of all against privilege as
sumcd, and upon an arbitrary assumption of
trickery and invasion Of the rights Of property
belonging to others. fnjunctions and powder
we're "many q time and off, spoken of, and
some of the heroes sold out and abandoned the
enterprise as one that would not pay, and one
of the councilmen was turned out for his ma
n9uvres-and others may profit by his expert
ence! Let all threats be met by resolution.
The people expect it. One ex-Mayor was once
truly reused, but he went to sleep. There will
be no rest for any who fail in their whole duty to
TWELFTH STREET
The HoMEsTEAD.-The homestead of every
man is holy thing which no law or monopoly
.kn ~ L. g. L. q