Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-04-17

/ Fsr tAs Gatssss.
i improvement Of the Leves.
The property holders west Of Brady on
Front street can never see their interests
subserved in the suggestion of H. b. II.
In the first place the City Council would
come in competition with them as land
holder and being exempt rom taxation
would possess advantages greatly superior
to them, enabling it to underease its lots,
and thereby push them out of the market
fer the present. Again-They supposed
when they purchased lots on Front Street.
that those lots could not be shut OF from
the river advantages by intervening blocks
of houses on the Preserved Landings."-
II such buildings are needed in that part of
the city, there is ample space on the North
side of Front Street belonging TO individ-
uals, who should not be disposses.ed Of
their rights by the Corporation whom they
pay to protect them.
ST. Louis and other river cities have sur-
fered severely from having contracted Le-
wees. High water frequently driving their
Steamboats, 10 the sidewalks for a landing.
and in business seasons, the accumulation
of produce and merchandise, with the cor
responding increase OF drays, WAGONS and
other vehicles, rendering it almost mpossi.
BILE 10 transac, the forwarding and recev-
ing business with safety to persons or prop
erty.
A portion ofthe river front of a river CIV
is always required for landing building ma
terials. &c, which do Tot arrive by Steam
boats.
Il would be unnecessary to tax any por-
ton of our citizens at present for an out
lay that cannot be Of any practical benefit
for several years at least, and it would be
severe tax upon property holders near
the locality referred to, to ask them TO stay
out Of the market until the Corporation lots
were disposed of.
1t is clearly demonstrable that the
great bulk Of business on the levee for
years, must be done IN connection with the
Railroad, and such being the case, tie river
front most contiguous to the depot, a.,d
which in the present instance needs little
or no Improvement to make it a first rate
Iandln. for the larges, boats, would be the
first needed and even il the other was i'm
proved in the manner suggested by II B. II.
it would remain almost entirety useless,
except for the immediate business of those
merchants occupying the blocks of stores
which tie proposes should be built.
The laws of trade are based upon the
great principles Of facility, economy and
general interest. and although artificial
means may succeed for time in div, ring
il from its true and natural locality, reac-
ton will always follow, that will return il
TO its proper channel; and the unwary who
have risked heat lily to override its laws,
are taught by bitter experience, that
healthy and sound prosperity is ever the
result of individual enterprise acting in ac.
cordance with general interests. The
writer has understood that in the original
plot of Davenport, the property referred to
by II B. II. was given TO the town for "re-
served landings" and il seems to him rea-
sonable to conclude that when they are de-
voted to any other purpose by the city than
that they were donated for, it's RICH, to them
becomes forfeited, and the lands revert 10
the original proprietors. II.