, 1891-12-23
THE UNITED STATES SENATOR'S
SIDEWALK

No matter how the law and ordinances
may be construed if the equities of the case
are to be considered Senator Carey opera
house Sidewalk is a public nuisance
and NAV lead to a series of elevations and
depresslous (mIsnamed sidewalks) which
will endanger pedestrians, damage property
holders and destroy the beauty and utility
OF the city's handsome thoroughfares. If
the right of LAYING sidewalks to a
Temporary grade Is accorded to Senator
Carey or any other wealthy or influential
property holder it cannot reasonably be
withheld from any other property owner
no matter how poor he may be nor how
little his influence may amount to with
the august members of the city council.
To assume any other position would be
tantamount to saying that there is one
law with winch to govern the rich and
another to govern the poor, a principle,
we take it, which however much it may
be operated in private Instances will
neither be upheld nor promulgated
publicly.
The authority which permits Senator
Carey to arbitrarily raise his opera house
sidewalks from eight to twelve and three
quarter inches above the established grade
of the city, and the conformation to which
all of his ncighbOrs to the east were
forced to come, Is based upon an as.
rumption of powers which should not be
tolerated in a community of the prefer
sions OF Cheyenne. 1t was the part of
wisdom to establish a fixed and perma-
nent grade in the business part of the
city. So long as this was maintained
without exception or iavoritism every
property owner knew exactly to what he
would be Obliged to conform The re-
suit was uniformity and evenness, adding
not only to the comfort OF pedestrians
but enhancing the value and beauty of
the abutting property. In the case of
Senator Carey the council has seen fit to
make an exception to what should be a
universal rule. His sidewalk at Seven
teenth street and Capitol avcDuc Is about
thirteen inches above the grade gwen TO
his neighbor adjoining him on the east,
leavin z a d~cclivIty at the corner which is
calculated to cndanRer life and limb. carry
overfuwIng water on to the adjoining
properties, destroy the beauty and syn
metry of the streets and put to ircon-
yenience everyone compelled to pass in
that ncighb0rhood. Carried out logically
the scheme which the city council yester-
day approved means that each property
holder may by securing "a temporary
grade" execute his whims, raise bis side
walk a foot or more above his neIghbor
who NAV have built to IA permanent
grade. thus making OF the %latter's
premises a receptacle of all overflow and
E nuisance III the eyes OF the community.
The action OF Senator Carey was first
taken without regard to the property
rights OF others or the convenience of the
people of Cheyenne He settled just how
it was to be done and started ahead to do
it. and every taxpayer must commend
Mayor B~resuaheu's stcadfast attitude IN
opposing such assumption and finally
placing the onus of the proceeding on the
city council, which certainly showed itself
completely suservIent tC the wishes OF
Wyoming's senior United States senator.
The spectacle is an Interesting but not
edifying one to the people of Cheyenne.