Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-04-09
THE LEe-DlsTaIcT APPROPRIATION.
Tho Duty Of tho City to Improve That
Territory Strongly Urged.


Territory Strongly Urged.
To ne Fin0r Of The Dispatch:
No action Of the Common Council within
the past DECADE has probably given more
general satisfaction 10 our enterprlslng
citizens than that IN whlchlt endorsed the
action Of its Finance Committee IN recon-
mending the appropriation of $4,000 for
opening and improving the streets of Lee
District.
A better investment. and one with the
promise Of q more profitable return, was
never made 10y that honorable body, and
It only remains 20 be approved by the
Board Of Aldermen and endorsed by tho
MAYOR 10 bed1re an ordinance. which !
ON persuaded will be done IN the interest
of the city and in Justice 10 the property
owners, who 1t - known have paid the
CITY in taxes $4,000 the past year upon
the assessed value Of the district of : ,000,-
QUO. thereby enabling the city to issue IN
bonds $50. 900. making 1t more than proba-
bic that the assessed value with proposed
improvements within the next year will be
more than doubled. Now, | submit III all
caudor, could better Investment. with
the promise of a more profitable return be
made! Again. tho city in Its lEstness) Is
ouly carving out what I pledged when
the District was by our Legislature an
nexed to the corporate limits, all IN good
faith and II occurs to me II could not have
done less. BY some II has been suggested
that taxing abutung owners OF property Is
unconstitutional, made so by recent act
of the Court of Appeals IN q decision
In the Norfolk courts. In reply to that
statement based upon the authority
of one Of our most eminent lawyers
after q careful iuvestlgatlonl 1t has
no bearing upon q" Lee District
4 I. % fr n al
sion was one of condemnation Of certain
property and not Improvement hence the
constltutionalIty of taxing the owners OF
Lee District for improvements therein
proposed as made. and while the city ap-
prOpriates S2J.000 1t receives IN return
upon the present assessed value SIS, 900
alone in taxes. Apart from the prOpriety
or expediencv of the investment. is there
not involved some pride and sentiment.
remembering that Lee Monument, the PRIDE
of our city and the South. has stood IN
an open field for three years. without even
q brick pavement leading to 1t. Now, IL
all candOr, has II parallel in this coun-
tray and what will the visitors attending
the removal of the remains OF President
Davis arriving here on the 31th OF May
next and those who attended the lnaugu-
ration Of the Lee Monument think Of
Richmond and her boosted chiyalry
and enterprise when they witness the
present state of affairs therei Echo an
swers.
| desire TO state here that | am not a re-
sident of Clay Ward nor the owner of 4
foot Of land in Lee District. but | yield As
second to no citizen in my pride of our
beautiful city, its progress and improve
ments: nor DO !. IN my sense Of justice for
the oppressed taxpayers VINO tor the past
wear have paid their taxes. as they will
l.. 10 a e. aft
of the city's privileges. Is this just ? |
ask. in all fairness 10 them, after the city ,
compact entered into. as We all know, IN
good falth. MADISON.