The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-10
b. AND THE STREETS AND THE sPOILs
SYSTEM.

II is with no desire TO triumph over
3D." IN argument that we reply to his
| letter in Sundays Times. His letter gives
| another occasion for discussing the un-
| Just and unwise system OF arpropriating
| money TO streets IN Richmond, and we re-
| ply to IL that we may still further expose
| the unwisdom OF that system.
| The plan for dividing our street money
| Is this: The Finance Committee deter
| mines that the sum OF. say. $4,000, shall
be spent on streets in the year 1893. The
| Street Committee divides this sum by 6,
| and gives $4,000 OF 1t to each ward, with
| out any sort Of reference TO the fact that
the streets in one ward may need $4,000
| in that year and that the streets in an
other may need none in that year. "B.
| defends this as n sound principle OF d.
| vision and we condemn it as the same az
that upon which safe-blowers divide out
their plumber.
| Now, we would like to know Of "B."
| why he tolerates the sum being divided
| by 6? Why should 1t not just as well be
| divided by some other number? If each
] ward paid exactly the same amount OF
| taxes then there would be a show of JUS
tice for claiming that each should have
| one-sixth Of the street money. But Mad
| ison Monroe and Clay pay very much
| larger sums into the treasury than Jack
son pays. Why then should Jackson be
| mt Of W n
| is appropriated to streets that each Of
| them then get? II the rule for street i'm
| proyements IS 10 be based upon the idea
| of apportionng out swag instead OF
| spending money without reference to
| the lines dividing wards. 1t would seem to
us that the most elementary principles OF
| Justice demanded that Jackson's part OF
| the $4,000 should be in proportion 10 the
amount that she contributes to the COM
mon fund. and that Madison's should be
| the same in which case Jackson would
get much less than the general needs OF
the city demand that she should get, and
| Madison might get much more than the
general needs Of the city demand that she
| should get.
| CD" carries his idea to the extent OF
| claiming that the rule of division should
even go within ward lines. He thinks
mot each ward. but each locality, should
| improve itself or go unimproved'
Under this idea. what shall be deemed
locality" Take Clay ward, for in
stance. Shall what is paid by the prop
| erty on Franklin street be all srent on
| Franklin, to the exclusion Of Broad,
| Grace. Main. Cary and the cross streets?
| Again. II there happens to be a square
on Franklin one-haf of which has fine
houses on it and the other half Of which
is vacant, shall all Of what Is contributed
by the residential half be spent on it, to
the exclusion of the other half that is un-
| improved? Does not "B." perceive that
If this principle were carried out to its
logical end it would result in each man
improving his own front, whereupon there
would be no general system Of street I'm
! proven1ent at all, and We would conse-
quently have no paved streets, but only
mud roads?
Our correspondent says:
"'B.' also denies that MI the people
within that territory Ri hmond) are
| jointly and equally interested IN all the
/ parts OF it. On the contrary, the topo-
graphy Of Richmond is such that there
! is little or no community of interests or
| sentiment between some Of its part%, be
| tweah Marshall and Clay. between
| Church Hill and Shockoe Hill or the val
| ley intervening. AS far as Clay ward Is
materially concerned, Marshall ward
| might almost as well be Manchester or
| Newport News, or, indeed, not at all
This is narrowing public sentiment. pub
lie interest and public duty down to a
! plane that is very abhorrent to all our
sympathies, traditions and ideas Of duty.
1t is in total antagonism to every senti-
ment embraced in the word patriotism
the word of nobiest meaning that cur Ian
guage contains. Since Sir Walter Scott
canonized this word in his lines:
"Breathes there the man with soul so
| dead.
| Who never to himself hath said,
| This is my own, my native land.'
every school boy repeats them as ex-
pressing a sentiment to which he is born
Paradoxical as it may seen, our hearts
all respond to the toast; "My country,
may she always be right but right or
wrong, my country"
What would Sir Walter Scott or the
proposer of this toast have said If they
| had been told that their sentiments We're
approved of. provided native land" and
Country" were understood TO mean the
ground In front of each mans door?
We have an interest as citizens, and we
owe a duty as citizens that is far broader
| in its scope than the territory that we
can cover in a mornings walk, or scan by
casting our eyes around. Every citizen
| Of Richmond is interested In the develop
ment and progress OF every part Of Rich
mond, and our correspondent is as sensi-
bic TO this interest as any citizen Rich
mond has We believe he has inadver-
| tently committed himself to the PROPOSE
| ton, and that he will give it up upon
| further reflection.
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MR.. HOwfSON ON GREG AGAIN.
L.. 49,.