The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-23
OUT OF THE MUD.
An Eloquent Plea for Pavements.
"Vox Populi" Being Heard in Earn
est on the Subject.
Judge Hammond Suggests Some
Points to Think OF.
People Should Not Lose Sight Of
Certain Very Important Facts.
Maj. George B. Fleece, an Expert Full of
Sound Ideas, Contributes Another
Art!cle-Legal Status OF the Flip
pin Compromise Bonds.

II the discussion Of the pavement ques-
ton continues at its present rate until
Tuesday next, the date OF the meeting to
consider the question, the public will I'M
dorstand it so thoroughly as TO require
little further elaboration at the meeting.
Yesterday The APPEAL stated, on pos
tive information from n reliable gentle
man who was in position to know, that
Judge c. w. Heiskell had been retained
rs counsel for those who oppose the bond
issue, though he himself was in hearty
sympathy with his task. The Judge has
written the following card on the subject;
To the Editor OF Tho Appeal:
see from The APPEAL OF today that
am retained as IN attorney for those who
oppose the proposition to issue bonds. In
this your excellent reporter is entirely
mistaken | am retained by no one.
That am unaltembly opposed TO the issue
OF bondsis true, and ii allowed, propose
to give my reasons for the opposition; but
this ! will do as an humble citizen of a
city that / love, and whose true prosperity
| have greatly at heart, and not as the at
torney OF anyone. &. W. iElsKELL.
The Judges explanation is, OF course,
authoritative, but lac will not be lonesome
in his discussion, for others, on both sides,
will be there to make things lively for
him.
JUDGE uAMNoND's REFLECTIONS.
judge T. $. Hammond sat in his Office
yesterday afternoon, wondering how II all
came about that only nineteen yiolalors
OF the internal revenue law were brought
down as conyicts from the November
term Of the Federal Court sitting at
Jackson, Tenn. An AppEAL reporter
called 10 learn what was new in the world
in which the Judge figures 80 credilably.
"What may announce in THE APPEkL
in the morning as coming ilom you?" in
! quired the newspaper visitor
Cant say that know anything Of i'm
porancc or interest attached 10 our court
term al Jackson. Nothing of interest oc-
cured, except the embarrassment we had
about the murder eases removed from the
Circuit Court OF Carroll County"
Does the United States remove murder
casesP'
mo, sir, but the parties sometimes do
when they claim 10 have been acting in
their capacity as officials OF the United
Slaies."
win You give me the particulars Of the
casc2"
mo, | believe not You bad better up.
| PLY 10 the District Attorney or the clerk
lor such information. The cases were
| continued 10 give the Governor, or proper
State officials, time 20 net in the matter as
they deem best"
THE PAVING PROBLEM.
| II.
| bonds, Julgu2"
"Wcll, | don't know what 10 think. II
seems To me We are going through the
same process which builded mp the old
debt We bad b partly rcpudiato or com.
! promise, II that IL better word. The
same arguments were used then as now.
| There Is no doubt We need better streets.
There has been good dcll Of Pudding
done with the money spent in Orlcr "a
satisfy inconsolahle clampr TO share iu rs
benefits. IL has been too much scattered.
sn much so that substantially We are with.
out q squnre yard Of good street or good
! street crossing in the city. The engineer
ing department has been cramped 10 that
We have much cheap work IN that line,
aud The streets Fuilcr more from that than
from cheap paving material and bad
| work.
"what - the remedy for all that We
complain or
That | do not pretend 30 know. But
the Taxing District Governments on trial.
aud the question is whether II will Yield
a. readily as tho old form did 10 the
! Establishments OF those who would run
any risk 10 get money to spend on public
| works and 10 make money out OF public
contracts. Everybody knows that the ion.
mcnsc sums OF money spent by the old
government were not wisely spent, and
much Of Il
WENT 1870 PRIVATE POCKETS,
and not into the public works. There /,
another influence that should bo watched.
and that is the speculaiors, who would
like to repair their burst 'boomn by
paving streets 10 the outlying subdivision.
Of the waste places Did YOU ever think
OF II, that while Ia Chicago, and sucl
cities o. are held up to us ~ examples foi
emulation, the people arc concentrated on
a relatively small territory, We no spread
out over all creation, and everybody want,
tcn.acrc lot 30 live on and 10 business
IN, aud then vans the public 20 pave TO L,
light IL, sewer ~, water Il, aud ~ on, and
tho vast lines Of stones, wires aud pipe,
cost moro money than our relatively poo.
population can possibly endure. Half o
IL X colorrd population that, while II
pays H. fall share OF taxation indirectly by
It's labor h not frugal or rich. II lives III
shantics that pay not much rent and can
not stand very heavy Assessments or high
rates oi taxation, but the streets cost ~
much 10 pave a. Il the population wcr.
wealthy. In an almost exclusively whit,
population OF the same sizc the capacity d
pave streets and make public Improve
mcnts would DC almost doubled. We ma,
FORGET these economic facts when ",
chm1r Tor more taxes and larger cxpondi
lures Tor what Is no doubt desirable work
but the question is,
cas- VIZ AFFORD NJ
Then our white population Is ais
much poorer than In ihoac cities held M
~ cXcmplars to MS, and We are apt 10 for
get that iact ~ We split along through thl
mud feeling rich, and wonder why We eat
not DO like Chicago. My belief is that ",
should cultivate contonimcnt with on
municipal poverty rather than seek 10 70
lilyu IL by unwisc expansion Of tho publil
dcbt' and taxation. Enterprise u no
always shown hy excessive expenditure
of public money, oven for much nccdc,
and seemingly indispensable improve
mcnts.h
"But DO You think we are 10 remain
always In poverty that prevents ihl
growth Of the cityG'
"oh, no, no." said the Judge somewha
moro earnestly, but great cities arr no
built IN n day. and We cannot roach thu
dimensions that the blowers and bfaggcr
aud Spectators would have us believe W.