Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-04-09
PAVING THE BUSINESS STREETS.
Arguments For and Against By a
Bright SchOolboy.

Bright Schoolboy. |
The following article upon the pave |
ment of the city's business streets, writ
ten by schoolboy, will be found inter-
esting. The question is logically treated,
giving arguments pro and con:
Perhaps one of the most important
questions pertaining to the advantage of
our city is Shall our business streets be
paved One half Of the people, princi-
pally those who live away from the
center, answer, no. The other half,
those who would be benefited by the
pavement of streets answer firmly, yes.
Thus it stands, the mighty question,
and in my composition will try to show
the opposition of the negative side and
the many bndeflts shown by the afhrma-
tive side.
In the first place, if the streets were
paved the merchants would be benefited
by having no mud splashed on their
windows on rainy days. Secondly, it
| ould benefit foot passengers by having
no mud to wade through when crossing
the walk. Thirdly, it would benefit
teamsters by enabling them to make
more rapid Roadway and sparing them
from the showers of mud which they
sometimes receive on a rainy street.
Again, it would benefit the city In gen
eral by peing less expensive ill cleaning
the streets. The walks would of course
have to be cleaned less often and with
| less expense.
On the negative side complaint is
made of the din and noise when persons
are sick. Also the disagreeableness of
loud speaking in stores. A question is
also assed by the negative side, Why
does the city put clay and dirt on the
streets to make the mud? A prominent
citizen was heard to remark recently
that he saw men carting clay and
sand for week on street and in
about a month afterwards another gang
| of men came and carted 1t off and then
the city is taxed for renovating this
| same street.
The affirmative side..asks: If the streets
are not paved, what can be done to get
rid of the terrible mud? Perhaps an an
swer can be obtained from the affirma-
tive as was given recently in a debate on
the pavement of the streets. A person
on the negative side proposed that thu
city purchase the small chips of rocks
and stone SO plentiful in quarries and
put it on the streets instead of mud. II
could be purchased for little or nothing
and would serve as well as pavement
AS an example of the yard of the depot
on Dublin street may be shown. Small
chips of rock and stone were put upon
the yard and in a short time solid roaC
was made, free from mud. But agar
the negative side complains of the
injury to horses feet and also the rough
travelling. OF course the road would b'
rough for awhile but it would be mad
hard and, by the way, perhaps SOM
genius would invent a machine t.
lamp the stone. Other machines, sucl
as the street sweeper and the grea
street leveler have been made, why not
stone tamper. Again, only those liv
ing on the business streets would b
benefited while those living outside TIN
center would be taxed as much as thos
who would be benetitted-a very go1t
reason why the citizens living Outsid
the center should oppose the question
AS the question stands at present it i
difficult to tell which side will be victo
: rious. The pavement! of the business
streets of our thriving city would b
very beneficial of course, but it seem
hardly right that those who would not b
benefited in the least by paving SHOULD
be made to pay as much taxes as thos'
to whom the pavement would be OF
, great value. On the merit of the ques
ton, therefore, the reader may pleas
himself n. DEANOR.