Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-07-29
TO PAVE OR NOT TO PAVE.
Exposure Of the Paving Scheme That
il B,ine Worked on our City.

is Being Worked on our City.
The proposition at a meeting of
citizens for paving plan was agreed
to iu good faith by the city council.
The JOURNAL has discovered that
there Is no intention on the part of
this committee to allow any paving
at all.
The public interest is to have
well-paved streets. The Taxpayers
interest to have it we'll done, 50 that
the tax-money collected shall not be-
wastefully expended. but that every
dollar shall Le 80 spent as to have
good value received. Neither of
these objects are at all likely to bc
secured the way things are being
worked" Investigation by a
JOURNAL reporter at the City En-
eineer's Office shows this state of
facts: BY resolution's the committee
was requested to furnish plans
and specifications to the council for
construction of gravel paved streets
With concrete cement curb aud gut
ers. They are now being prepared
by the city engineer under direct
ion of w. f. Boothby representing
this citizens movement. These
citizens are having these specificat-
ions by the city engineer prepared
at their own expense, and MIR
Boothy is practically debating the
plan and specifications as they now
stand. The JOURNAL is satisfied
that the whole purpose is to submit
q cheap patchwork that will not im-
prove our streets particle.
The Boothby plan is simply to lay
he streets and cutters at certain
grades aud even up the present sur
face with gravel. On most streets
it would take but a few inches OF
gravel upon our present dirt and
gravel streets. 1t is simply the old
way of street building that Salem
hiss had for forty years, which means
mud six months in the year. The
streets we have now are the result
IF this old style gravel treatment.
1t never has made good street and
never will and anyone who proposes
continuance of it simply proclaims
himself unprogressive and ignorant
on the subject of road building and
street paving. If the council had
understood it to be the proposal of
the citizens to simply haul on a
little gravel it would have kicked
ltinto the middle of the street.
THE CITY ENGINEER
will not endorse the cheap good for
nothing Boothhy plan of street
patching, and which is not even Mr..
Boothby's idea. The Boothby plan
will not be endorsed by any en-
gineering authority on earth. The
present city engineer, who has so
far shown himself to be a man of
professional ability, would not think
of presenting it as his own
The experience of Salem nor of any
city in the world that has used
gravel streets will sustain it. No
reputable engineering authority will
sustain Mr.. Boothby for a moment.
Only with proper sub-drainage, a
proper excavation and a proper
foundation can gravel streets be con-
structed that are satisfactory.
Such gravel streets have been, are
and can be successfully built. They
can be built here. There is only
one way to build a good gravel
paved street and Mr.. Boothby does
not, noi will not, comprehend that.
II cUsts much less than any other
z ,nd pavement and it takes much
'ess " Ork. But good street can be
huilt with the material at hand.
The JOURNAL can show anyone
properly constructed gravel streets
at the asy lum that are hard as
cement summer and winter while
Are the soft, slushy, quak-
ing quagmire mud roads on the
Boothby plan.
If the outcome of the secret citi-
zen's meeting to head off any street
paving is to be only a continuance
of dirt roads it bad better never had
been held. Intended TO be strictly
secret, it was announced by the
JOURNAL and reported in the JOUR
NAL. Tie JOURNAL treated it in
good faith as favoring good gravel
paved streets, as against expensive
The council treated
It in good faith. Present indica-
tions are, it was an organized effort
of those opposed to all permanent
AS such it deserves
only contempt.
HARD UP.