The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-07-26

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Amer the long agitation Of the subject, =.
,st some disposition Il being manliested
the city council 10 IN up our street,,
nd improve the sewerage system The
' jrk IL not being conducted on an exten.
i've scale, but II Is being done here ana
here. and the limited results thereof Will
be widely felt aud appreci'
,ted by the citizens OF Dallas, when the
even now in progress are
complete. On several fhoroughfares the
streets and sidewalks ale both being paved
aud leveled and hardened, while three or
four needed sewers, both large and small
are being laid. This of course is merely
the beginning OF the end, but 1t shows that
even the council and city authorities are
aw akening to some of the demands oil the
Dallas OF to-day. 1t shows that the popu-
lar cry as urged through the press is being
heard and respectfully treated. When the
sections of work now in progress are COM
pleted much, very much indeed, Will re-
main to be done but we can better hope Tor
the future from the present indications OF
enterprise and desire to place Dallas IN that
physical condition most conducive to COM
fort and health and best in keeping with
her present size and Importance. The
first step is always the hardest to take and
now that it has been taken and that such
commendable progress is being made daily
we can with reason believe that the spirit
of improvement and modern convenience
and appearance of thrift, has taken
hold OF our city and its heretofore
sleepy officials. AS the work
proceeds every improvement will speak Ior
tself both in appearance, durability and
comfort and convenience, and as one street
or section is improved the desire will be
only the greater to extend the work, from
the contrast between the new and the old,
the good and the bad portions OF the city.
The matter only needs to be started some
where to become generally popular in no
great time. st. Louis has also been clamor'
ing for long time for street improvements
and now it seems from the accounts In the
press of that city they have reached the
initial stage of the movement, as we have
lust commenced, to put long-talked oil ana
long plans in practical opera
ton. In commenting on the fact and pro
gress made, one of the journals of that city
has this to say, and its remarks are as live
aud valuable reading in Dallas just at this
time, as they are appror rate in st. Louis,
and we commend them to 'ur Dallas citi-
zens in our present stage OF street
improvement 1T is always 'ard to esti'
mate the value to city of exI enditures
laid out in public Improvements. They
yield no direct pecuniary results, and it re-
auires considerable amount of intelligence
to appreciate that the capital is being well
invested. Yet the same principles which
leads the merchant to make his place oil
business attractive and convenient applies
to the case OF the whole municipality. The
personal comfort vouchsafed to residents
gauges within certain limits the number OF
citizens. There is great difference be-
tween a place where one simply lives
because his business necessitates it and the
place where one lives because he prefers 1t
to others. In that difference rests large
amount of prosperity. There is an equal
difference between a city where outside
purchasers go because they have to and
leave it as soon as possible, and one where
they 90 because they want to and stay as
long as they can" Thus much can be said
irrespective of question of dollars and
cents, and merely as matter OF pleasure
and convenience. The value OF city i'm
provements from speculative stand point
is illustrated by the value Of a new mill.
with improved machinery and facilities in
creased hundred fold for manufacturing
purposes, when compared with the old
mills with the cumbersome machinery and
sloyenly methods of former age. The
one continues to increase and enlarge its
dividends upon its capital stock while the
other continues to eat up its original CAPT
tai. So it is with city. Capital and popu-
lation continue to seek cities with push
and energy and spirit of improvement
about them, while they Just as carefully
avoid finished towns" Added to this is
the wear and tear Of vehicles, merchandise,
horses and men upon muddy, uneven or
torn.up and torturous thoroughfares,
and the thousand other Inconvenience
and annoyances that are met on every
hand. Dallas OF to-day is not the Dallas of
ten years since. Its population, wealth
and interests are Unnecessarily greater al
most and the demands upon It's municipal
authorities and citizens generally from
any modern standpoint OF progress and
business foresight and economy are
thousand-fold greater now than then. 1t is
encouraging, therefore. that initiatory
steps are being taker, that the much need
ed work is beginning TO be prosecuted, for
what is doing now is an earnest that In the
future, next year or the year or two
years after that, we may anticipate seeing
a hundred-fold more evidences OF such
work than we now see, II enables us TO
base upon q solid and practical founda-
ton the hope that Dallas has put on the
toga vir.lis at last and taken stand among