The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-06-06
A MEDLEY OF THOUGIEFs.

4 MEDLEY OF IhosShhS.
Having cast our lot in Dallas, for life
for veal or woe--after II third Of |
century's residence in the older or
southwestern part of the state. RAN
sacked and ,umbied all over by the
war, we felt that it would be painful TO
remain in the regions where every
days observation would bring up some
painful "Reminiscences, and, therefore,
determined to seek at Dallas wherein
to spend the remainder of the days al
lotted to us Oh earth. Having done so,
all our thoughts have been directed
to the welfare, prosperity and grandeur
of our chosen town. For three years
we have, to considerable extent, neg
lected selt-intcrest, in order to lend an
humble hand, in laying broad and deep
the foundations OF IL city hereafter to
shine among the great communities OF
or country.
In sincerity We have felt that our geo.
graphical and local position was such
rs to justify fond hopes OF a glorious
future. a charming climate and in
eXhaustiblc soil combine to give cur
rency to such hope, and truly our
growth has been without parallel in
the southwestern states. Yet some
things have occurred and yet exist
which materially dampen the ardor of
enthusiastic citizens, and on them we
offer few remarks. a town, to be
popular, respectable and healthy, must
have wide and spacious streets and
liberal provision for parks, pfomenades
and other places of resort for the null
titude who toll six days in the week.
Almost all new towns of late years
start out in possession of these necessi-
ties. But how is it in Dollas: Where
are our broad avenues with shaded
sidewalks? Where our wide streets
and spacious alleys? Where our public
squares, parks and promenades? Echo
answers where! Where, in any preten-
tious American town of the last fifty
years, has there been betrayed
such short-sighted policy in pro
prietors in defeating to the
puplic ground for such necessary and
beniicent purposes? In what modern
American town have men originally
laying out or afterwards adding to
growing towns, felt satisfied with lay
ing off streets of thirty, forty and fifty
feet in width? Where, before, have
men owning large tracts in town de-
manded pay from the people OF the
public treasury for giving streets
through their own grounds, whereby
they were being enriched? Did any
man or set of men ever before'lay Off
Il town, or any addition to town, for
their own greater profit, and then ask
the people or municipal authority to
pay them for the streets? Suppose no
town existed, what would their acres
be worth d? Yet, not satisfied with
enormous. increase in value, some ask
contributions of the very men who
come here and help to make them
rich. Or, in other words, some men
wish to lay contributions on the people
for making them rich. They virtually
tax the struggling man who has but
a single lot to pay them for marking
out streets through their own lands,
whereby their own property is trebled
in value, while, HiJhOutstreets, it would
be of little or no value. Hurt whom
and where it may, we have seen more
of this unwise spirit in Dallas (ofcourse
OH this point than in all the towns Of
our acquaintance for thirty and more
years. 1t has kept many useful men
from locating here, and caused various
valuable citizens to regret having set |
tied in our town. If anybody dis
putes this last assertion, we think we
can produce fifty honorable names to
it, embracing some of the
leading business men] 1t has brought
regret to the cheeks of many in show
ing the town to strangers from abroad.
Perhaps, from our particular business,
we have realized these facts more than
most others; but we know them to be
true. Men owning five, ten or twenty
acres hesitate about giving decent street
room, through their lands; some even
pay for mere lanes of
fifty feet, and some refusing to
open streets at all, while the merest
novice can see they would be enriched
~ doing so. What makes this mar
'owness the more provoking is the
'aet, which we readily concede, that
,ome worthy and excellent citizens
7ield TO it-men who are generous and ,
lind neighbors in all things else. ,
Touch them on the dirt question, and ,
hey become Shylocks, and some few
,Iay that old game called "dog in the ,
a game that has strangled in ,
infancy divers good town sites in ,
Texas. 4
Now, the common sense truth is that |
II large towns require wide streets, {
nd all towns, large Or small, require c
hem in a southern climate. What is c
side street? We answer, from |
lightly to one hundred and twenty feet. d
let not one-tenth of all the streets now r
D Dallas are over fifty feet, some are t
1rty, and some have che temerity to e
all a thirty feet alley street. These /,
Effects are the more lamentaSle in \
lew of the miserable COMMISSIONS and +
in the plans of diff a
rent sections of the town. If we
ad the persuasive powers of G;
nrnl rrn rn,onld hoznnnh r,rorarfr a.