The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-06-07
About Hitching Posts.

IL
absurd that there should be such commotion
stirred up by the removal of the hitching posts
from around the Court House square in this city,
but it is not rs trihing matter as thoughtless
people may think. About all the mercantile
business of Ottawa 'centcrs arounq the Court
House square, and il is here that farmers coming
to town to do their trading desire to hitch their
teams to be able to keep them in sight. Expe-
rence has shown them often enough that when
they hitch of the square and out of sight and
leave their teams for any considerable time, the
rowing cattle about the streets tumble over the
contents of their wagon boxes for the hay and
feed they contain, and thieves steal their whips,
halters, blankets, robes and even the harness off
the horses backs, as has happened in several no
table cases.
The plea that the filth dropped around the
square by horses, and the standing water caused
by their cutting up the cutters is detrimental to
public health, is ridiculous bosh, The idea that
aguc was caused in this city last fall by few
gallons of water occasionally standing for an
hour or two in these CUTTERS is laughablc. Did
that sour water also cause aguc to prevail as
such general-almost universal epidemic all up
fact, all over the state?
The sight of fifty or a hundred wagons hitched
around our public square on pleasant day may
be very disturbing to the refined and delicate
nerves of our kid gloycd county officers and
their clerks and to the pcrfumed gentlemen of
the professions and their starch and prunella
students; but TO the man of sense and business
to the man whose nerves are tuned to the clash
and clang Of the material go-ahead and energy
of live western city, the sight of streets filled
with teams is eXhileratng, and the noise and
hustle and shouting and even occasional profani-
ty of street jam is music more than the italian
Opera to the ctfeminatc dillettanti. What gives
Broadway its world wide fame, and makes prop.
erty worth quadruplc what it is in any other
part of New York City? There is scarcely a day
in the week when Broadway, except miles "up
town." be safely crossed at all by the ladies?
Do our City Council desire 4 perpetual Sunday
around our business centre in Ottawa:
Driving the "nuisance" of hitching posts off
the square, will do one of two things. 1t will
either drive the farmers teams out of town en-
trcly, and thus ruin the business of our mer-
chants, dealers and mechanics or it will double
and intensity the "nuisance"-if such the coun-
ell persists in calling it--on other streets. Dur
ing the past few days the "nusancc" has en-
largcd itself very decidedly along Main street
west Of La Sale, where the merchants have pro
vided abundant places for hitching, and they
seem to stand the nuisance" with amazing
cquaninity Alderman Mates, we hauc no
doubt, is willing to put up even a few extra
hitching posts to keep the superabundance Of
teams from offending the delicate nostrils and
shocking the tender nerves Of the otter of roses
gentry on the square. The people of Marscillcs
and other neighboring towns have no sympathy
for the squeamshness of our fine haired city
fathers They are not only putting up hitching
posts but erecting sheds right on their main
business thoroughfarc to invite in the country
trade, and they seem quite willing to risk the
sanitary question while they lind how we'll it
pays.
In short-rur City Council have made blum
der. Removing the nuisance" from the square
has only transferred it to other quarters and the
cutters on Main street need quite as much attcn-
! ton already as those around the Court House.
The only sensible course left for the City Coun.
Gil is to undo what they did too hastily and with
out due consideration. A small sum would put
flag stones in the bottom of the cutters around
the square, and the merchants, We have no doubt,
would pay the expense by voluntary contribu
tiOn and then new set of posts and rails would
be an ornament as well as Il great public con-
veniouSc.