Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-03-23
SUBURBAN STREETS.
Why III. o. Beatty Objects to the Pro
posed L. Street improvements,

Why II. o. Beatty Objects to the Pro-
posed L Street Improvement.
EDS SUNDAY UNION: In the REcoRD-UNIoN
of Friday appeared an article which l feel
quite certain would not have been published if
you had understood the nature of the question
about which you were writing. There is pro-
ceeding before the Board of Trustees to deter
mine whether L street. from Fifteenth to Twenty
eighth, shan be improved in certain manner
by the persons owning property abutting on
that street. The law provides that the i'm
provement shall be made unless majority of
the holders of property object. Whether a ma
jority does or does not object, is judicial cues
ton to be determined by the Board of Trustees
The latter, in such case, sit as Judges and have
all the moral responsibility that a Judge won, d
have in the trial OF a case.
The case is between two classes of lot-owners
and l cannot see that outside parties have any
more to do with il in its present condition than
they would have to do with a suit between John
Doe and Richard Roe. If one of the parties
was very bad man and the other a good clti-
zen we might all have a desire that the good
citizen would gain the case. But we would
hardly go so tar as to propose indignation meet
ings in advance OF the trial to influence the
Courts decision. And if the Judge or one of
the Judges who was to try the case should be
active in stirring up this excitement we would
at once say he should be proceeded against by
writ of prohibition and excluded from hearing
the case.
but lnere is q great desire IN this community
to improve the streets, and anything that tends
to check improvement is looked upon as alarm =
ing and demagogues seize the opportunity TO
raise howl against any one who opposes their
particular views.
These people cry out that the signers of that
remonstrance and myself are all opposed to
street improvementS-want to keep the streets
in the condition of a hog-wallow | will say
for myself, want them improved much faster
than these ardent Trustees ever proposed to
improve them. and l believe my clients are as
wiling to improve them as any other body of
men in the city. .tts-
But my clients want the burdens of the i'm
provement properly distributed. There are GER
tam Improvements which result mainly but not
entirely TO the benefit OF the lots before which
they are made such as sidewalks, grading OF
the streets. cross-walks. etc. These my clients
are perfectly willing TO pay. There IS one other
improvement, granting which results mainly to
common benefit OF the public. If l. street is
graded the business part of the city will derive
a hundred dollars proSt from the work wnere
the lot holder on l., from Fifteenth to Twenty
eighth, derives one dollars benefit Yet if the
whole city contributes to the improvement the
cost will be to the taxpayers about oue-tenth
OF one per cent, or one dollar on the thousand.
If 1t is thrown on the L-street property it re-
quires tax of something like ten to twenty
five per cent on the assessed value of the prop.
elty-p-obably about ten per cent. on the
assessed value of the property down about Eff
teenth street where it is most valuable about
| twenty-five per cent. out about Twenty. eighth
street.
have not examined the assessment roll along
this street to see that their estimates are accl-
rate, but think 1t quite as likely that the figures
have made are under as over the msrk. be-
lieye to impose upon these men such tax fol-
the public benefit would be gross Injustice.
believe they will resist it, and can succc sfully
resist.
When went down into the business part OF
the city this morning, was assailed on every
quarter, generally by particular friends who
were on the most intimate terms with me, fol
my opposition to street improvements. when
explained my position, every solitary individ
ual admitted that il was mean aad nardshiI
| TO throw the whole burden of graveling or the
| lot holders: that in common Justice the city
| ought to pay part. if not the whole expense q
grave ing. But they said THE tax has beer
levied and we have no money for improvins
| streets. II your clients hold ont you will delay
the work for at least one year"
1t is true there is no money in the Treasury
| to-day that can be applied to this purpose, bu
| the general fund of the City Treasury will have
at least s. coo in it this year. Thirty Thousand
| dollars will be ample to pay all the necessary
| expenses which have TO come out of the gen
eral fund, except street improvements and sew
ers This would leave fifty thousand dollar
10000 for streets and sewers, besides a specia
| tax of Is cents for street improvements, which
would bring about sl9 600 TO the street fund, anC
81. %. CAV sew 'AN' "A''A "'u'' sieiu aO"u
| Here, then. are ample funds in the hands o
the trustees To gravel some two or three streets
| at least extending to the outskirts of the city
| And the Trustees know very well that If they
want TO do il they can add seventy. five or eight
| thousand dollars to the general fund, the stree
| and sewer fund combined.
| If the Trustees begin an unjust aud oppressive
| system of improving the streets it will arouse
| spirit of opposition and resistance which will
| result III litigation which will last for the mex
two or three years aud put back the city fo
| years to come. If they will do what is fair snt
! right there will be no difficulty in putting th
city, within the next four years, in a better con
dition as to streets, !evees, sewers, water work,
| and finances than any city in the State.
For twenty-five years the city has uniformly
paid for graveling the streets in the outskirts o
| the city. The law under which they are nov
acting expressly authorizes them to pay any
| part Of the expense of such Improvement
| Whea the city at large proposes to pay it
| share OF this improvement then it would be il
| order TO call public meeting and discuss with
| the local property holders what that shar,
| would be. But as long as they leave the Who'll,
burden on the property holders it seems 10 ms
| the public ought not TO have any say III tn,
| matter. II. y. BEATTY.
| THE statement made by Judge Beatty
that for twenty i've years the cost of tn,
| gravelins of streets in the outskirts of tn,
| city has been met by the municipality, an.
| that the Law authorizes the Trustees TO d,
such work, is not verified by the Trustee
nor the City Auditor. The latter SAYS i
has never been done to his knowledge tant
he has been many years in office), and tn,
| Trustees have repeatedly, of late, declared
that, under the law, they cannot do stree
| work at the c:ty's expense-not even tn,
graveling of the intersections. The SUNpA,
| UNION, believing that both sides of al
q3esiions of great public impor,anc
should lave hearing. gives space to Judg
Beatty TO state his views, but does not wisl
to be understood rs indorsing them.-EDs
| RETRACING THEIR STEPS.