Omaha daily bee., 1884-11-10

-"Whst do you think of the way
the Gtreets are being graded, asked the
BEES a Of an old settler who owns lots
on many of the recently graded streets.
I'll have no objection to it" was the reply
Except that it would be much more
satisfactory if the cuts could be made cay
60 feet wide instead of the full width oil
leo feet. Then after a year or o few
years the other 40 feet could be graded
out. II is a difficult matter to establish
a proper grade and work it out all at
once. The people here don't seem tc
understand it. They object to it and
throw obstacles in the way. l have seen
the same thing in other cities, but much
more of it hear than any where else.
Sometimes certain newspapers, those that
follow but never lead public opinion,
will chime in and do all they can to op.
pose and delay the improvements.
However, there is no more opposition tc
these improvements this year than there
has been whenever they have been
undertaken. The lessons of the paat arc
soon forgotten, particularly 30 here, where
there are so few who were here ten
years ago. Some of us remember the
fierce opposition that was made
to certain grades established and
worked out ten or fifteen years ago. II
has in every case been found impossible
to establish a grade where it ought to be
without making one or two changes--or
some streets three or four. 1 we'll re.
member the first grade established in this
city. 1t was ON Farnam street, from Eff.
teenth street to the river. 1t was 30 laid
that water would run east from Fifteenth
street to Twelfth, and west from Ninth
to Twelfth. After q year or two a change
was made making the street continuous
descent fromFifteenth street east to the
river. This was considered o radical
change at the time and provoked fierce
opposition. 1t required q cut of about
FIVE feet ut Ninth street, and a fill of ak
or eight feet at Twelfth. 1t took two OF
three changes of grade to make Sixteenth
street what it now is from Fsrnam north
to Nicholas. There ought to be a good
many among us who remember the time
we had in getting st. M&ry's avenue down
to its present grade. The opposition to
that was very much greater than to any of
the grades this year, Hanscom had the
contract. A less determined man could
not have executed it. 1t was argued that
st. Mary's avenue was a residence street
and never could DO anything else.
No one was SO rash as flo predict
that business houses would ever be built
On that street, just as they now talk about
the other streets that have been graded
the present year. Do these objectors
want to confne the business part of this
city to it's present area? | was in Kansas
City a few weeks ego, and epent o day or
two in noting the progress 1t has made
within the last few years. find that the
business part of Kansas City covers more
ground tn n all VIC have graded here,
and to grade o street there costs more
than double what it costs here. No
doubt there has been a good deal of
jobbery in the grading contracts, just az
there is in all public works, and | believe
that in selecting the particular streets to
be graded, the public interests have not
been consulted. Omaha has attained its
present position in spite Of the nom
enterprising and non.progressive-not by
their assistance"