Wichita eagle., 1889-11-24
WHO OWNS THE TOWN2
A Talk With the City Council OF Things
About Which the People are Talking.

Auc GAOLE, III the ualne VI Iue peOpIt,
desires to ask the mayor and the city
| council, who owns this town, anyway?
Who owns the streets and alleys of Wich-
tia? Why were they laid out and at
whose cost are they maintained? And
what are they kept up for? In short, was
the town only built with a view to making
the franchises of few corporations valua-
BILE, and are the interests and desires of
the managers of these corporations to be
consulted and conserved before those Of
the peoples.
These are very plain and very good-na-
tured questions, but none the less honest
and earnest. There are three electric light
companies with their wires and poles, a
telephone company with their wires and
poles, telegraph company with their
wires and poles, water company with
their hydrants and mains and gas COM
pany with their pipes and posts, ard
two or three street railway companies
with their strings of iron rails and ties
and vehicles all occupying the streets of
this city, and all looking upon themselves
as benefactors Their than as the depen-
dent creatures of this municipality. Never
was there a greater mistake, and the
u
mistake, the better it will be for all con-
cerned. that is better for the people, better
for the city administration and better for
the corporations themselves. These cor
porations did not build the city. They
only live because the city was built. They
can. in no sense, maintain the city. Upon
the other hand, if the city is not main
tanned for them and they also supported
additionally, they cease to exist. The
franchises of these corporations are SIM
ply permits, not invested authority
whereby to command the people and DOM
mate their servants.
1t is coming to that pass that a citizen,
voter and property Taxpayer has
no rights which these bossy corporations
are bound to respect. We saw the mayor
and banker the other day, practically
pleading with a hireling of one Of these
corporations, not to put down a great
unsightly pole right up against the front
OF the bank building and along side of two
other rusty black poles, and to put down
which the side walk had broken. That
corporation has no interest in this town
any farther than just what they can make
out OF the town. So generally speaking
of the corporations. They are given great
and valuable privileges which they are
liable to sell, or the ownership of which
are generally non-residents, and but few
of them bear this proportionate burden of
taxation. They suck and suck and bleed
and bleed and then talk about what great
things they are doing for the town. Has
any councilman made casual survey of
how our streets are being encountered and
appearance of our best buildings marred
by the almost innumerable great
grey and black masts which like limbless
trees line both sides of all our streets? Did
any of them ever count the number of the
unsightly trunks within hundred feet OF
the intersections of either First and Main,
or of Douglas and Main? DO they not
crowd up to within ten and twenty feet of
each other, in places.
And rs to the water company: Didn't
the EAGLE weeks ago notify that corpora
tion that Market and Main and Douglas
would soon be permanently paved and
that it was the duty of the water works
company, duty that thsy owed to the
city, 10 make good its promise to substi-
tute iron for wooden mains in those thor
oughfares; and that 1t was the interest of
the city that 1t was done before the paving
was done? What was the answer? 1t was
that the wooden mains were good enough
for years and that they couldn't be COM
PEELED to put down iron ones until they got
ready. But they did. Now we are
told that the paving of Main street
may be delayed because this corporation is
not ready to put in iron mains for the rea-
son that they haven't got them? How is
that Messrs. City authorities? Does this
franchise mean dictatien not only, but do
you know how much the taxpayers of
this town are paying that corporation an
nuatiy besides giving them the exclusive
privilege OF occupying the ground?
If these hints are accepted in the spirit
of good nature in which they are written
well and good but they must be accepted
all the same, for they are written wisely
in the interest of the city-of its property
holding taxpayers, who are most liberal
and enterprlsing, but who are growing
restless under some things of late. They
have not only grown uneasy under the
things here mentioned but over some
actions and want of actions upon the part
of the city council as we'll. The council
don't hear it direct, but an editor
does. They want these corporations
encouraged and treated literally, but want
them controlled by firm hand. There
are other matters of which the city coun-
Gil does hear directly, but which, if con-
sentative and strictly honest methods are
not adhered to, will come some day as a
storm or as a crash before which no man
can stand. That sewer business is one OF
them Every DrecautiOn in the Drenara-
tory steps was taken in getting expert
opinions, and expert estimates, aud expert
surveys, all before single contract was
let, and yet there comes after-claps and
leakages of extra lnmber, extra castings,
extra expense for flushing, connections
etc, etc These are all laid up by the peo-
pie, and criticised by those who must pay
the bills. And the paving business, the
evident desire upon part of the city
council to force the paving Of outside,
street against The almost unaaino1s pros
test of those most directly interested,
when every body knows that an
isolated pavement is of but the
smallest benefit. and that the only way is
to commence in the center and pave out.
solidly, taking the alleys and intersections
and all, is another criticism which fills
the air.
Experience is the best, and experienced
officials can render themselves more val
liable to the people than can new men,
and everything being equal, and every
thing honest and above board, the present
council, with its knowledge of what has
been done. and what remains to be done.
can render the people valuable, not to say