Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1891-04-23
HAVE YOU A SIDEWALK
Council Notifies Negligent Property own
ers to Comply With the Law.

The Freeland Council is after the mar
who failed to comply with the borough
ordinance, which calls for substantial
sidewalk before every property. He is
a very numerous parsonage in this town
and resides IN every portion of the Dor
cugh. He has been notified year after
year with monotonous regularity until
he has come to regard the little notices
only as reminders that the town has a
Council. Indeed, if this man is over
looked in the distribution of these Of
ficial requests he is among the first to
accuse the borough fathers of neglecting
their duty. When the annual order to
derelict property owners is sent out this
man considers the matter on general
principles, thinks it would be a good
thing for the town and INDUCES in some
speculation as to the Improvements he
will make. Then he stops. He is going
to see what his neighbor will do about it.
Council, he reasons, did not say he should
make the start in putting down side
walks; and, well, the springtime went
and summer came, they came again and
went, and yet this sidewalk had not
arrived. The only section of Councils s
notice which he feared was the clause
stating that if the order was not COM
piled with by a certain date, the job
would be done by the borough, at his
expense, with 20 per cent. additional
added. But so often had the same thing
been said, and so seldom was it done,
that in time he looked upon it all as a
bluff. He confidently tells himself that
Council had better not try that game on
him, that his property does not require
a sidewalk, and if pedestrians don't like
to walk past his property they can take
the other side of the street. With
that argument prepared to defend his
position, he says he is ready to give the
borough all the fight it wants. If Coun-
Gil seems to be serious, he goes and does
some plain talking to its members and
awaits the result. He has been known
to remark that he would Dust the
whole municipal government if anyone
without his orders.
For some unknown reason Freeland'S
many former Councils appeared to fear
this man and his class, and when the
time expired for laying sidewalks few
attempts were made to carry out their
threats of doing the work at the property
owners expense. The present Council,
however, promises that the summer of
1891 will witness q new departure in the
manner of dealing with those people.
The members have felt their way very
carefully, and being assured the law is
behind them they intend to enforce this
particular ordinance or know the reason
why. The street commissioner has
gathered all the information necessary
concerning those properties which have
no curbs and sidewalks, and the Council
has sharp stick for the people who fail
to comply with this years notices.
About ninety of these notices are now in
the possession of delinquent property
owners, and if they wish to avoid trouble
prompt compliance is all that is re-
quired. Councilmen state the bluff game
has been worked to death and an actual
force of men will take its place this
year. Every property, except those al
ready provided, will be supplied with q
good, substantial sidewalk
The members of Council realize that
the enforcement of this order may have
some disagreeable features and in carry
ing it out, the law will meet with oppo-
sition from various quarters, but they
intend to treat all with impartiality and
thereby give no grounds for any justi-
fable complaints. They will try hard to
solve the sidewalk and sewerage ques-
tions, and if their labors are successful
they can well afford to rest on their
laurels as the greatest benefactors Free
land has ever had in a long while.
Success to them.