The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-01-18

condition until similarly reached in th'
IillimitAble future. They look with horrol
upon any plan that promises to lift thil
city out Of its filth and disease into con
ditlon Of cleanliness, beauty and health, II
case it is to cost anybody anything in
private way. They point to some street
that have been improved atthe general ex
pense, and demand that every other stree
shall await It's turn at an empty treasury
This means that they viii wait forever
90 far as their lives or their children aitel
them are concerned, They ignore the
benefit received by the city as q whole
from the expenditures that have beer
made ON some Of the principal streets, and
reckon It as so much money spent simply
for the benefit Of those particular streets
whereas nothing could be narrower and
more isllaClous than such view.
The writer OF this article lives on one ol
the old streets Of the City-one Of the prin'
cipaI tax paying streets Of the City-andyst
1t is one Of the streets that is disgrAced by
mud in the winter and dust in the eSummsl
that has no drainage and no paving,
and Ia parallsled by an alley that Ia o cehs
pool the year round, There are public
spirited citizens on said street, who, al
though they have paid heavy taxes year
by year to the common treasury, for i'm.
provemsnts In which they had no direct
share, are anxious for their own indi'
vidual comfort and advantage, and alse lor
the good name ofthe city, to improve said
street and said alley Gttheir own expense.
They are willing to do this because in the
nature Of things they know that they will
"die in the wilderness" before the Inn
provsments so much needed can be made
by the city, The question is, shall they
have the opportunity Of rescuing them.
selves at their own expense, or shall they
be condemned to be forever confronted by
sights and smells thStRre absolutely loath-
some, because a lew persons want to live
and die as their fathers lived and died, Tor
fear Of few dollars OF private expense.
We take it that oil fair minded people
will agree that where three,iourtha OF the
people living on particular street want to
do something that will make their homes
more desirable, heartsome and healthiul,
and at the same time contribute thereby
to the public advantage, they ought not to
be thwarted and overruled by onetourth
Of tho property owners on the Atreet, who
perhaps do not live on the street on which
they own property, and whose daily lie iE
net interiered with for the lack Of the i'm
provements desired. Three,tourthS Of the
people are not apt to do wrong to any.
body, themselves included. They are much
more apt to do that which is right and Inn
peratively neediul, and they ought not to
be bpttisd by any marrow and churlish
spirit on the part Of mesgre minority,
To this complexion Of private improve
ments the city Of Wheeling must come
at last II she is ever going to be anything
but an III conditioned and upaightly
town. She is to day half q cen.
tury behind the example of all the
great towns and cities ot the North and
West We afe simply dilapidsted Old
Virginia town in the respects named. The
old imprint OF narrow and shiitess South.
ern ideas Is still upon us. We have scarcely
any Of the public spirit that has created
great and beautiful towns and cities in
localities tina! were unknown when we
were incorporated as city. Are we go.
Ing to remain forever in this sluggish and
antiquated coAdition2 For one, we vote
no, and Tor that reason we are most heart.
lily and unreservsdly in favor Of an act by
the Legislature that will give effect to the
ordinance passed by Council last Friday
night.