Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1859-08-14
rxrr1,,o, or rHE CRY LIMITS.

OF THE CITY LIMITS
The pripciple snuneistsd By members OF me
late Board Of Aldermen, that they would never
vote one dollar for the "nght of way" for any
.trsst anywhere In the city, though at hrst a
startling proposition, was not made without
reflect on by its authors. Msmlhis Is Two
liz long from north 10 south, and one nile
wi5. from east to west. There are $3.50 feet
+, : mile. and since, according 10 the plan Of
~, ritv. there must be a street every three
hundred feet there viii be eighteen streets
running from north to south, eseh two nilcs
long. making t~hlrty-hvs miles Of streets The
interesting streets from east 70 west VIII Be
twice the lumber % thoss running north and
south, but OF only half the length Of these,
making thirty-fve more miles % streets, and
in al, seventy miles. Il win be seen that we
DO not take into consideration the alleys, each
Of which, twelve and a half feet wide, must
also be seventy miles in aggregate length.
There are then when we reduce seventy
miles to feet, $4,000 feet IN length Of streets
made and to be made. City lots are 1884 (ssy
$50 fset) deep. Each street is sixty feet wide,
and in the aggregated length Of streets, there
are 1864 city lots, 90 BY 80 feet, estimating
the ground at only $50 per front foot, we have
1864 multiplied BY 60, giving the total number
Of front feet, these smountingt to Ia so, which
multiplied BY 50 gives the cost Of the seventy
miles Of streets, seven millions three hundred
and ninety two thousand doIarsl We have
omitted all estimates for alleys, which estima-
ted as the above, would equal in cost the value
Of the streets and alleys already opened, the
latter to be deducted from the above sum.
But let US suppose that we have overstated
the cost Of opening streets BY 0ne-half; even
then the city must incur an expenditure Of
flrrr and q Lalf milicas. We would ask the
taxpayers, the water-works men, those who
believe with US that our railway to St Louis
and Texas must be bulk or Memphis is a
doomed eity-we would appeal to all these
men to know whether the Aldermen who swore
in their places that they never would vote one
dollar to open any street, were not right?
They said that the comforts and advantages
arising from numerous streets were great and
undeniabls; but that such considerations were
secondary to those which involved he very ex-
istence Of the city itself. Build our railroads,
and streets viii open themselves, and wa shall
have a vast city, with OF without local means
Of transit. Adept the principle that those in
terested must open their own highways, and
when property-holders no longer rely upon the
tax list to render them rich and comfortable,
streets will be given to the city. Property
holders, and thoss who would buy from them,
no longer looking TO the city treasury to cor
rect fatal errors into which s~slSshness ls8ds
individuals, cannot trade unless streets are al
ready opened, when il is known that the city
viii not do e.
But, aside from all this, the city government
night as well begin now as at any future time
to refuse to pay one dollar Of the three millions
for which It will be asked. It cannot pay the
whole, not the hundrs5th part Of it, and if it
expend q portion Of the sum in one place, with
an Acknowledged patent inability 70 make like
expenditures in al other districts, manifest in
justice is done to numbers Of property holders
and taxpayers.
With this principle fixed and settled, let The
Board Of Aldermen and the people, with one
voice, demand the extension Of the limits Of
the city BY the present Legislature. Let the
Overton tract, and Fort Pickering and Chelsea
be annexed; the right OF way for streets will
cost nothing; we can with ease perfect o1T
railroad system, and our city Til then grow
great with a rapidly unprecedented. All the
efforts made BY the enemies Of Memphis to de-
stroy Der will be futile, and Milton Brown and
his Holly Springs eosdjutors in this noble %
effort viii have labored in vain.
The owner OF suburban property whs OBJ
jects to being brought within tie city, should
be bored for the simPles or hsyed alive for bis
miserable selfshness. The people within the
city have borne heavy taxation without q mgr-
mur FOR years past. With our revenues we
have built railways and roads till we hsv
trebled and quadrupled an hundred fold The
wealth Of the Suburban properly holders. l.
Is time they too were bearing he bortsns as
veil as Tea7lng the rewards Of their prosper
ity.
To the Board Of Aldermen we would say
hat their path Of duty IS as plain as that
which leads through that broad gs;s' o..
EhLsbltis sai88Ra g BsRE4hsgs b that Sc
have cur city charter amended SO that we nav
loan on mortgage, or subscribe as stock, half
q million city bonds to the St. Louis Road, and
as nueh TO the Little Rock Road If need BE-,
and in order that al who share the incalcula-
bic advantages arising from the construction
Of these roads may share the burdens in pro
portion To resulting benefits, let the city limits
be extended one mile north, south and east.
go