Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-01-17
FACTS FOR PETER sTAUB.
A Dodge too lrrIli n for Intelligent voters.

a Dodge too Thin for Intelligent SoieTs'
In conducting controversy it is al
ways necessary in order to understand IL
to Keep in mind the points in issue. A
fellow indicted for larceny in New York
| for the stealing of q watch, and who
| proved by a hundred witnesses that they
| did not see him steal ii. was nevertheless
convicted. on the testimony of the one
witness who did see him. steal it. We
have made in every issue Of the CHR0N-
ICLE for two weeks specific charges against
| Mayor Van Glider and his administration.
| We have presented figures and facts in de-
tail arraigning them for selfish appropri-
alton OF the revenues of the city.
| We have shown that for the past three
years over SEVENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
have been expended on the streets of the
city, and yet we have defed the Mayor,
| who boasts of his economy and fidelity, to
show the public street work of any sub
stantial character to account for this
heavy outlay. In the challenge offered by
Mayor BeardeR in another column, he
points out specific, substantial and we'll
known improvements to show for the
street expenditures made under his adj
ministration. Can Mayor Van Glider or
any of his ring point to any such work to
| account for their expenditures? But in
the list Of our charges, we have alleged
| that very large and unfair proportion of
| the street expenditures have been made
about the property of the ring in North
property in East n Knoxville and
elsewhere. Until yesterday no notice
of these charges were taken. But
yesterdays issue OF the Mayors
organ, Peter Staub essays to answer us by
what he styles challenge. We ask cur
readers to examine it. We made charges
Of a specific character, Does Peter Staub
| tt,o,,, Nj oil 10 Id. IN,
this style. He makes this proposition:
For every dollar over one hundred and
fifty dollars, expended by the city for the
| grading, in the last three years, east of the
line Of Crozier street and aCithi,a the bound
aries of ftaub, Van Glider & Henderson's
addition to Knoxville, / will donate, for
charitable purposes, an equal amount"
&C., &c.
The italics are our own. VIII they
modify their propositions? Why does the
ring want to confine the investigation to
the east side of CrOzicr street or aUithjT1 the
boundaries that section. Of their farm
They own property acest of the street
named. Persons familiar with that part
of the city can readily see why he lodges
as he does. Park street, aOeSt of CroZier, is
graded, curbed and guttered, and yet it is
through the rings" property, and there
is not q house on 1t. Then an examination
been begun just up to the boundaries Of
the particular section so cGnningiy speci
fled, and these will force others 10 be
made INSIDE the property referred to. But
we are not fully able TO answer the dodge
as TO the grading cast Of the street, because
! The records of the city unfortunately are SO
kept as not to show how much grading
has been done cast OF the street named.
! But the challenge is cunningly wOrded SO
| ut tn an hi n mt
and a few feet of curbing. But we find in
| the financial exhibitthat $40, has been eX-
pended for engineering. If a purchaser
| goes to the "ring" to buy lot, the Mayor
will take him to his private office, where a
| fine map. paid for by the city, shows the
farm" and lots in splendid style. His
| engineering has all been done as only pre-
paratory, and now if the ring can get
''only one year moren of rule, the way the
| city money will be spent east Of Crozier
street and aUithin the boundaries
of the ring property will be start
ling. We went out on the farm yesterday.
! THE WORK MAPPED OUT. s9
/ We saw there the splendid engineering
Fof the Mayor. Streets terminated abrupt
I ly as If running nowhere, but glance to-
wards the Mayors mansion in East Knox
vile, or towards his property in other di-
rections, would show that they were sur
veyed to make straight connection, though
| gulleys would have to be filled, hills cut
through and ravines bridged to b ind the
remote tracts together. Such splendid
plans challenge our admiration, and we do
not wonder that ''only one more
year, is wanted to carry out this splendid
engineering scheme. Bridges are already
built with no streets leading from them.
Links of the work are already completed
enough to trace out the avenues, streets,
alleys, cuts, fills, bridges, &C., that are to
be completed, if 'only one year more" lease
of power is grated Thissit is that gives
just cause for apprehension, and shows
aChy NIr. Staub's challenge was so guarded.
If the 'ring" is in good earnest, why not
make proposition that is fair and bust
ness like? Why try to hem in the chal-
! lenge to very small part of their proper
ty, and doitsos bunglingly that verybody
can see it: Now Mayor Bearden, in his
challenge, enumerates solid work to show
for has expenditures. Is the ring afraid to
name their streets Z? = Do they lead, every
one Of them, to or from their property, or
FB1E Nan Gilder's?l ~ EsnrE
3 InSeonclusion, we must suggest TO Peter
Staub that his challenge bears too plain
upon its face that it is dodge gotten up
by his associates, who have cunningly put
him forward to be laughed at and that
now he might add to his brief speech made
at the Opera House dedication. Il make
coats, can build houses, but can't make
/ a speech !" ''or defend the ring"
E,R ~ The Grand Bali Masque.