Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-03-30
The SiIuatfOn-High Street and
the NicOIsOn Pavement.

"a shame and disgrace to any city of the
pretensions of Columbus. Columbus, to a
great extent, fourishes and has prosperity
because it is the seat of Government. Here
large sums of public money are disbursed,
and it is, therefore, highly proper that the
citizens who are so benefited by these dis
bursements should see to it that the streets
are kept in condition at least passable.
HCities have Street Commissioners, whose
Iduty, under the supervision of street
committee, it is to see that the streets are
kept in proper order. Columbus has a
Street Commissioner, and Columbus has a
committee on Streets and Alleys and Chain
lGang. The Street Commissioners is paid
$500 per year. Columbus, also. has City
llCouncil, and Presidentthereof,a although it
ibid look, until very nearly the last OF July,
as if we would not have any organization
of the Council. The Council is tie politi-
cally, and in the effort of the Republican
members to get control of all the offices
and committees that amount to anything
scouting everything in the form of conces-
sion or eompromise-the city for nearly
four months was allowed to take care
of itself. The city was threatened
with cholera, and yet doggedly the Repub-
lican members hid out in the hopes Of,
through trick or juggle, securing suehan
Organization as they had set their hearts
on: Representing minority, and having
secured, through Democratic dissensions,
an equal number of members in the Coun-
Gil, they 9insisted that the Organization
must be just as it suited them; and be-
cause they could not have it thus, they, to
allappearances, cared not what evil befel
the city, or whether the cholera invaded it,
and desolated it. Finally, after much i'm
portuning on the part of Democratic mem
bers, the Council was organized in the lat
teripart of July by the election of Repub-
gicam President. That Republican Presi-
dent appointed the COMMITTEES on the Street
Commissioner and Chain Gang. The Street
Commissioner is Republican. Three out
of the five members who constitute the
| COMMITTEES on Street Commissioner and
Chain Gang are Republicans. The chair
man of that committee is Republican.
| The Democratic members, consequently,
are spowerless.s They can do nothing, and
could do nothing 1t is, then, to the Re-
publican Street Commissioner, and to the
Republican chairman, and the RepubH-
can members of the committee on
Street Commissioner and Chain Gang,
that the citizens of Columbus and of the
State of Ohio are indebted for the execrably
bad-for the insufferably shameful -condi-
ton in which High street has been for
months. The Street Commissioners name
is WILLIAM HARRISON. j. G. Toll is the
Chairman. and THEODORE CoMsTocK and
H. T. BooTH are his Republican associates,
on the committee on the Street Commits
sioner and Chain Gang. Will any sane
man pretend that if this Republican Street
Commissioner and this Republican controlled
and directed committee on Streets and
street would have been, to our citizens the
annoyance it has been and called down
upon our city the odium it has? This is
the fruit, and the legitimate fruit, of
Republican misrule. 1t is nothing else;
and now these gentlemen propose
to escape the eensure which should be vis-
tied upon them, by hurrahing for the Mic
in the Council a clear majority, with a
Democratic Street Commissioner, with
Democratic committee to look after him,
this great shame would not have been
brought upon Columbus, nor would our
people, in these days of high taxes and dull
times, be called upon to shoulder the ad-
litional heavy tax that the Nicolson pave
ment will necessarily entail upon them
So, you perceive, Republican blundering
or management in Columbus, as in every
other place, is a very expensive affair.
Before Nicolson pavement can be laid
down on High street, the patent for it has
to be bought. The patent for Chicago cost
$4,000; for St. Louis $8,oO0;3 for Cincin-.
natl $4,000, and for Cleveland 50 300. The
Cincinnatians and Clevelanders, with an
eye to business, resolved on durable i'm
proYement of their streets without COM
mitting themselves in favor OF any particu-
lar plan, and hence they were enabled to
buy the patentforOne-fourth what Chicago
had to pay for it-a consideration of ma
terial consequence in an affair of this sort.
Our Council, under whip and spur of the
previous question, resolved to construct the
Nicolson pavement. and have invited pro-
posals for its construction. This manner
of proceeding gives the patentee an op-
portunity to make pretty much his own
terms. We don't suppose that the parties
under whose management High street got
into such an internally bad condition, and
who crowded the Nieolson proposition
through the Council before it received
thorough consideration, arein the least to
be pecuniarily benefited through the pat
entee; but it don't show good management.
That's ALL - .v-4 -v