Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-10
The Duty of the City Council.


The councilmen of the city have duty
TO perform in connection with the new adj
dition south OF Anderson street, for the
proper performance Of which they Will be
held accountable by public opinion. To
understand fully the nature of this duty
IL 10 necessary to know what the condi-
ton of affairs in the new addition is.
There are, perhaps, one hundred
owners OF the addition. A great
many OF them have only one lot
| each. 1t Is safe to say that
nine-tenths OF them own less than
one-tenth Of the addition. There are now
a balf-dozen, perhaps a dozen different
plats, which, about year ago, the Coun--
Gil attempted to mould into one, and to
which little or no attention has been paid.
A very large part Of the addition is, there
fore, divided up in way that is wholly
out of harmony with the older part Of the
city, and the different plats are out OF
harmony with each other 1t is plain
that II this condition of affairs Is per-
mitted the new addition, instead of be-
ing built up with handsome residences,
and becoming one of the most beautiful
craw or Robertsvile. Those who want
to put up fine houses will keep away from
it, and the larger part OF it will be aban-
doned to cheap houses for negro tenants.
Those who own the greater part OF the
addition want the Council TO extend
certain streets, running north and south,
through the addition in accordance with
the recommendation Of its committee.
The plan which they ask the city to adopt
would make squares about 800 feet long
east and west-and about 800 feet wide
north and south. Those who are opposing
this plan, and insist that every owner
shall be lett free to divide up his land
in accordance with his own ideas,
or the plan originally adopted by
the Council, and which no one
is satisfied with except those who have
erected buildings, are chiefly those who
have bought lots in accordance with
some one of the halfdozen pats now in
existence, and, thinking that they have
secured very eligible lOcations-corner
lots, perhaps-don't want their holdings
disturbed. They don't care so much for
the interests of the new addition as they
do for their own individual interests.
The forces which are pressing the
Council, therefore, are the owners of the
greater part Of the addition who want
uniform and harmonious plan adopted,
and the corner lot people-the majority
who don't want the city to interfere.
Which course shall the Council pursue?
| Under the law it has the right to adopt a
! MI nd 70 - fo
do that which will be for the benefit of
the whole city, and which will result in
increasing the city's wealth and beauty,
! 1t will take hold Of the new addition BUSH
ness and settle it in accordance with the
dictates of cOmmOn-sense, and in way
that will promote the city's pros
| perity. 1t will disregard the
plats OF individual owners and
adopt plan that will bring the entire
addition into harmony with the city proper
as near as possible, and at the same
time give larger blocks. If, how
ever, 1t thinks the wishes of q few
persons are of more consequence than
the interests OF the whole city, it will let
the new EDITION be ruined by permitting
every one who owns any considerable
part of it to open streets to suit himself.
OF course, 1t takes little grit for those
who hold elective Offices to disregard the
wishes OF those who have votes, or who
control votes, but 1t should not be forgot
ten that in the long run it pays TO follow
the line of duty. And who is there who
will say that it is not the duty Of the
/ Council to rescue the new addition from
the ruin with which it is threatened? Can
there be any doubt that 1t is better that it
should be built up in accordance with
one plan than a dozen?
| An argument has been advanced that
the city ought not to so to the expense OF
opening the streets in the new addition
until the property there is subject to taxa
| ton. That Will be eight years hence,
and in that time it will, perhaps,
be covered pretty generally with
shanties. The cost Of opening the
streets will then be about ten times
what it will be at present. This question
relative to taxation is not a difficult one
to settle. The great majority of those
who will build in the new addition will be
so anxious for light, police, etc, that they
to have the restriction against taxation
removed. Indeed IL is probable that the
owners Of at least three-fourths OF the
new addition would gladly agree now to
use their best efforts TO have the law so
amended as to permit oftaxation at once,
If the Council would adopt satisfactory
| plan for the streets.
The duty of the Council in this matter
lie so plain that it cannot pretend to be in
doubt about it. The interests Of the city
and those OF few owners of corner lots
are srrayed against each other. Which
shall weigh the more with the Council!
The people are waiting for decision.
They have an improvement on the old
fashioned water-witch-or rather water
wizard, up in Tennessee. A Tullahoma
special says: "A boy named Kaufman,
not by any means OF bright aspect, pro-
fesses to be able by means OF OWNING
rod, 20 locate oil, gold, silver. diamonds,