San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1890-01-30
A FallaciOus Article.


In our last, reference was made to
an article which appeared as lead
ing editorial IN the Times, on the
street and school house question, the
authorship Of which we hear attribu-
ted to Alderman Wood. Want OF
space prevented our giving it atten'
ton last week.
The greater part of the article is
devoted to some alleged facts and
figures designed to show the moder-
rate cost of the proposed street i'm
provements. They are the same
given by DR.. Combs in his article in
last weeks FREE PRESS. We quote
passage from the article attributed
to Alderman Wood. Hear him:
There is $3.50 feet in q mile. To
grade road bed twenty feet wide,
for one mile, 8inches deep. with gray
oil or any other good grading mater
ial, will only require 10000 solid or
cubic feet of such gravel or grading
material. About 81 or 81 cubic feet
is an ordinary two-horse load, when
the roads are graded. 1t can be haul
ed from the Blanco at rs cents load,
or at q cents cubic foot. At this
price to gravel mile of street 20 feet
wide and 8 inches deep, will cost ST.
760.
Now mark how the plain tale OF
actual experience will upset this
piece of guess work. Frank Donal-
son has just completed u pavement
for Mrs. Hook. Here are his figures
OF the actual cost;
Pavement 20 feet long, 4 feet wide,
7 inches deep, 43B cubic feet. -Four
loads gravel, cost rs cents per load
43l cubic feet, cost $500.
Cost of one cubic foot 6 lib OTIS
Cost per mile, 8 inches deep, 20 feel
wide, S4,S73.S4, cost of mile one
foot deep, $7,31O,76.
There you have it. The cost of
mile OF street improvement rs pro
posed by the majority of the council
as tested by good practical work
man is $4,S73.S4 instead of ST.
76O, as estimated i'll the Times article
Such is the difference between the
results of theorizing in n closet OIL
Office, and of the actual facts as de
monstrated by practical workman
And this difference, we have no doubt
would be fully sustained throughout
the entire improvements proposed
should the council persist in adding
this crushing weight on the taxpay
ers of the corporation.
We proceed to another beautiful
passage OF the Times article, credited
to Alderman Wood, where it says:
Which is most important, and most
! to the advantage OF the city, to have
good streets over which the business
OF the city can be done with comfort
and safety both to man and beast
and over which the children can walk
dry. shod to even an humble school
house, or to have $4,000 one to
which the children of the city must
wend their way through mire and
bog. or stay away as many OF them
do nowH
Our FIRST remark on the above Is
that it exhibits colossal check, when
everybody recollocts that for long
course of years the city council was
appealed to and implored in vain 10y
the FEEE Pass and others to make q
walk to the public school house so
that the poor children need not
..wend their way through mire and
bog. Little did the ruling influences
seem to care If they did get sick OF
lie. as some Of them did. because Vi
this exposure. They diI not belong
to the favored circles-NLat matter
The Times writer jOcs not seem tp
know that this state e things does
not still prevail, although a faiE walk
has been constructed 10 the public
school house ~ priraic contributions,
within q year past, ~ cb.ldren are 10
longer compelled 10 stsy AZ bone
from the lack Of one Tie Tines
writer's IOvIbg sympathy for the poor
children Is only equ.lei by hrs iuior-