The record-union., 1893-08-05
The FINANCIAL CINCH.
Its Squeezing Effect But Lightly
Felt Here,
Public and Private improvements
Progressing-Views of an En-
thusiastic Citizen.

"Weup' exclaimed a citizen yesterday
who had just returned from ramble
through various parts of the State occupy
ing month or more, this doesn't look
much like hard times! l guess Sacra-
mento hasn't felt the tightening of the
financial cinch that has been squeezing
the commercial and industrial life out of
other communities"
The speaker stood on K street and was
gazing up and down that thoroughfare,
which is so rapidly undergoing its trans
formation.
why" he continued, "a fellow'd
hardly know the place, 1 suppose, if he
were to stay away two or three months.
/ note the disappearance of many old
landmarks, not only on K street. but all
over the business part Of the city. What
have you folks been doing here lately?
Who has united his sack of coin?
Wherever j have been 1 have heard
nothing but complaints of hard times,
caused by light crops and the prevailing
strlngency In money matters, the result
of the Withholding of capital from invest
ment, but somehow things look different
in Sacramento. l hear that some people
Ibi6 al GULL pldlullk d llbIlcy DuI I6ChOu
they're only the same old gang of croak-
ers-the kind of men who would rather
drink town sewage and pasture drainage
from the river than have the city accept
the gift of pure water system, for fear
that some day she might have to buy it,
even though it would be long after they
were dead and forgotten.
~ may appear TO be little enthusir
astic over Sacramento's apparent pros
perity," he continued, but can't help
1t. The times may not be just what we
would have them but l venture to say
that there is not another community in
California that is exhibiting the push and
energy that Sacramento is displaying in
the matter OF improvements.
During my absence the City Trustees
have practically made a contract with
outside capitalists to establish water
plant that will give the city an abundant
supply of better water than any city on
the coast can possibly obtain, and on
such easy terms that none of US now liv-
ing will have TO pay anything to speak of
In the way OF extra taxation to pay for il.
This Of itself l regard as the biggest thing
Sacramento has done since it became a
city. 1t will be a new experience for us
to hear people everywhere praisng Sacra-
mento's drinking water, instead of con-
demning it, as in the past.
'Then hook at the old street balconies
that are being pulled down in all direc-
tions and being substituted by neat and
modern awnings. Why, sir, L can see
now that most of the criticisms we have
heard from strangers OF the tum ble-down
appearance of our business houses were
caused by the old rattle-traps of balconies
that disgraced-and, to some extent, still
do so-the fronts of the buildings along ]
and X streets and the cross streets down
town. hope the Trustees will keep on
In their good work until the last of these
eyesores shall have gone to the woodward.
II took a ride through the outskirts of
the city to-day, and there, too, | found
the work OF improvement going on.
While other cities are doing little or
nothing just now in the way of improv-
ing or extending their car lines, | find
that here in Sacramento it is Just the
other way. The Central Electric Rail-
way Company is laying the rails on its
Twenty-first-street extension, and it
doesn't require very far-sighted person
TO be able to see that the road will be ex-
tended out into the country at no distant
day.
There is the H-street line, leading out
to East Park. l see the company is
working on that, Also and was told that
cars would soon be running over that
line.
Coming down town again I found out
on NJ street whole blocks of cement walks
being laid, new residences going up in
various directions, and more or less inn
provement going on generally. | also
learned to-day that the P-street residents
and others over that way are willing to
bet that inside of two years from now the
fifteenth and P-street Plaza will be RI
val of that of Tenth and ], and that OPEN
air concerts will be held there. Indeed,
the fountain that is to grace the center of
the new plaza has already been secured
from the old Improvement Association,
50 Mr.. Luhrs tells me, ana it is the de-
termination of the residents In that part
of the city to have the square generally
improved
"W hat do I think of the new bitumin-
GUS pavement on X street, and will it
last?''
Young man, if you outlive that pave
ment you will have no cause to complain.
have lately examined bituminous pave
ments in Los Angeles, San Diego and
other progressive southern cities, and last
year, during a trip Last, found the peo-
pie of Denver, OF Rochester, n. Y, and
other cities very enthusiastic over their
asphalt streets.
81 am told that in few weeks the
work of laying a bituminous pavement
on street will probably be commenced
l hope it will be. 1 own property on that
street, and long ago | became disguised
with the old cobble pavement. Wherever
the new pavements are laid. the old bal
comics and plank walks will have to 90.
Veil, ! guess I've talked about enough
on these subjects, but l can't help tit
makes me feel CHEEKY to come home and
lind our own city full of life and bustle
in these hard times. OF course we are
behind the times in some respects, par
ucularly in regard to our sewerage sys-
tenn, but that will have to before long
give way to a new and better system
nder the new charter l look for much
better methods of carrying out municipal
Improvements than have prevailed in the
pastu