Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-10-02
STREET IMPROVEMENTS.

The Star hns adopted the purely ard unwisely selfish and shortsIgIied pollcy style of argument m relation 10 street Improvements which, If generally adopted. will keep our city back; keep out inhabitants and make lt chiefly noted Ter Its diseases and deHths.-l CITIZEN.
 The Star has done no such thing. We are in favor of improving the streets, and in our issue of yesterday strongly urged the adoption of some equitable plan for that purpose. We want as many as possible of those who are taxed to pay for the works to receive some of the benefits of the improvements. Many important streets are wholly overlooked in the plans presented. Is 1t to be eX- pected that man who owns property on Second or Fifth avenues, or on Ala meda street, or on Main and Meyer streets south, will quietly submit to have it so heavily taxed to improve certain special parts of the city? We think not The question Is one of importance, and the benefits must be made more equal before the proposition will be sustained by property oTners.-Starr
 Our esteemed contemporary undoubt- edly wrote the above as refutation of our charge of opposition to street i'm provements, and yet the article virtually admits all We charge. Nothing in the way of public improvements can be ac- compiished without united action, and if this one and that one has different plans, and each refuses to yield and unite upon some one plan, nothing can be accomplished. The resultis the same as though they had come out and boldly proclaimed their opposition to any scheme of improvements. It is a mani fest absurdity to suppose that every street in the city can be improved at once. It should have been done gradu- ally and the work commenced years ago. And to oppose this plan because 1t only contemplates taking the initiative amounts to opposing street improve ments as a whole, because a commence ment must be made if anything Is ever to be done. We have discussed in these columns at length the question of gen eral taxation for public improvements. What improves the business or any DOT ton of the city increases the value of every dollar of property in it. In a scheme of general taxation outlying property has the advantage. It Is as sessed for less and has less taxes to pay for improvements, whether adjacent to it or remote, while by direct taxation the least valuable property has to pay as much as the most valuable. The prece- dent of general taxation IS in the inter est of every one who owns property ID the resident portion of the city. The lm- movements proposed will indicate pro- gressive spirit among our people, which is essential to the welfare of our com munity. IT, however, each insists that his way is the only way, and persists in opposing every plan except that which meets his personal wishes, nothing will be accomplished, andit will be q notice to the world that Tucson lacks the pub lIc spirit and the united action to com mence and prosecute successfully pub lie enterprise, the necessity of which IS so patent to all as the one under consid- eration. We hope that the Star, after consideration. will see that while 1t claims to favor street improvements, Tn effect its position is diametrically op- posed to them, and will labor unitedly with the balance of the press of the city for the common good.