, 1877-07-15
MICHIGAN AVENUE,

What las become of tho movement Il
turn Michigan avenue over to the South
Park Commissioners for improvement ?
Why don't the South Park Commissioners
interest themselves in tho matter, and ascer-
tain what process is necessary to bring il
about? Why don't the Aldermen, who
know their constituents are c1amoring for it.,
evince some concern in it? All that has
been done by the Council SO far has been to
procure from the Law Department al opin-
ion that the Council cannot exclude the
heavy teams from the avenue. That is not
the question at all. Nobody wanted it pro-
sented i'll this light. The real question is,
how transfer Of the avenue can be made so
that the South Park Comm issioners can take
charge OF the street as part of the
park system, improve it by assessing
the cost as they assess the cost Of
other improvements, keep it in repair, and
impose such police regulations upon it as
their authority warrants. The park which
they have in charge is Of no earthly benefit
to the people of Chicago if there are no ap-
proaches to it which are in passablo condi-
ton. The borlevards, which were SO crowded
Of pleasant evenings two on three years ago
that horses could not 60 faster thnn walk,
are deserted this summer. But everybody
in Chicago who owns or hires buggy or
carriage, who drives in and ont between his
residence, whether he ever goes to South
Park OF not, is equally interested in having
the proposed transfer effected. Let the
South Side Aldermen and Park Commission
ers put their heads together and see what
can be done. Of course there will be legal
objections urged. No proposition, public or
private, is ever presented to which legal OBJ
jections cannot be fonnd. The thing to do
is to find out what process will most nearly
conform to the legal requirements, and then
proceed with it.
We do not know of any municipal project
that has ever been received with such unani-
nous approval rs this. There have been
but one or two individual protests, coming
from people who affect to believe that it
would be unjust to property owners on other
streets, and be an aristocratic exclusion OF
the heavy trucks, which ought to have the
same rights MS the other vehicles. We don't
think anybody of prominence or influence
will care TO acknowledge himself so mean
spirited as to father either of these objections.
e the trucks be excluded from Michigan av-
enue, they will find ample compensation
IN having Wabash avenue, State, Clark,
and the other streets to themselves,
as the other vehicles will seek
Michigan avenue. Nor need the property
owners on the other streets object that their
pavements will be worn out the more quick |
y on this account; for the fact is that, their |
oavements, being of blocks and not subject
Ike gravel to the severe strain of bad fall
md spring weather, arc not damaged 80 |
much by slow, henvy teaming as BY the |
'harp knocks of the trotting horses. Nor
IAN the propcrty-owners on other streets
easonably object to the manner of assessing |
he cost of the Improvement of Michigan
venue under the park system, since this
axes account Of benefits, md assesses
ccording to the relative advantages real
zeo by improvements. In this way the
llch1gan avenue property-owne1s will them
elves pay the great bulk of the cost; the
wners Of property abutting on the boule-
ards and park lands will pay some of it; the
'de streets leading into Michigan avenue
I'LL Pny their share and the proportion that
I'LL fall on Wabash avenue and State street
I'll be insignificant, certainly trifling in
omparlson to the benefits these property
wners will receive in having one respect
bic driveway in the South Division. We
ope the public officials will soon give some
eed to public sentiment by bringing this
after to Il clnEe