The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-17
TO MAP OUT PARKS.
MayOr ROnald'S Vision of What
$4,000 Will Do.
MILES AND MILES OF BOULEVARD
Hundreds Of Acres for Beauty and
Breathing SpOts-The Plan for
Paying for Them.

For 5000 spent now" said Mayor
Ronald yesterday. this city can secure
for itself the location of 125 miles Of drive
way and a number of big parks which
shall add enormously to the attractiveness
of this city for all time" The occasion Of
this remarkable statement was q meeting
In the rooms OF the park commissioners in
the Bailey block. 1t included the COM
missioners themselves. chairman 7. n.
Halter presiding, the council committee
on public buildings. grounds and property
and several of the members of the citizens
committee on the park-bouleyard scheme,
appointed several months ago.
The informal discussion of the gathering
was of more interest than its formal act,
for the latter was confined to just one
motion. The mayor was the chief spokes-
man. 1t appeared that the gathering was
one strongly sympathetic to the grand
park and boulevard scheme. This plan,
according to the explanations of its pro-
motors, consists in acquiring title TO GER
tain outlying lands for these purposes,
now that they can be had for some price
that is not prohibtory. How to pay for
the parks seems to be a matter for future
consideration. AT present." said Mayor
Ronald to the assembly, 1.-THE city has no
power to condemn property for parks; it
cannot even condemn for streets, strictly
speaking. A bill is before the legislature
now seeking to vest the right in cities OF
the first class to condemn for parks
and is being opposed by Messrs. McGilvra
and Shepard, of this city. 1t is their fear.
may be. that the park system will become
a district system. as the street improve
ment system now is. that IS to say, that if
land is condemned for park certain dis
trict will be called upon to provide taxes
for it. l think this unfair; the park sys-
tenn should be general. and taxes levied
for the purpose should be levied all through
the city. AT present we have a general
plan tor sewers and water pipes, and We
need one for parks and boulevards. tell
you, if this matter of parks be neglected
now, many and bitter will be the curses
heaped on our heads by those that are to
come after us. We can get now, practi-
cally for nothing, ground which will in a
comparatively few years cost millions;
yet, as a matter of fact. We need not spend
much money al once, very little. in fact,
till we get ready to do so, We have public
spirited citizens who have offered to sell
certain lots of ground with water frontage
and at rates and on terms which the city
can make practically to suit itself. Mr..
w. E. Bailey and Mr.. John Leary own
lake front property which is just the
thing for magnificent parks. Six thou
sand dollars will not buy the ground, but
that sum will locate the grounds, drive
ways and boulevards, and will be notice to
all subsequent purchasers and platters
that their p.ats must conform to the city's
park and boulevard SYSTEM"
Alderman I. NJ. Taulton then followed,
and held that it was desirable to acquire
park on and near the lake end of Madi-
son street. OH which work should begin at
once. After some general discussion this
idea was Endorsed by the meeting. Mr..
Daulton said that he himself would SUBJ
scribe 81, 600 to fund to aid out the plan
for this park. The land in question lies
south of Union bay and crosses over the
tracks of the Madison street railroad.
The amount required could only be ap-
proximatcd. The tract is probably not
less than 400 acres. A motion was put to
the meeting and carried, instructing Park
Commissioner Schwagerl to ascertain
what the tract in question could be got
for, he to report to the mayor, who should
call a special meeting of the council to
consider the question.
II would like to be able to call this meet
ing before go East to aid this plan am
heartily in favor of it," said the mayor.
If the council and the people understand
it as we'll as this company, there is no
doubt whatever that public feeling will
sustain the council in passing it,"
superintendent Schwagerl, at the re.
quest OF the meeting, read some statistics
on the experience of older cities in dealing
with parks. He showed how In the case
of New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Phila-
delphia, Buffalo and Chicago, parks had
added enormously to the value of property,
and in every case repaid property owners
in values, in some cases many times over,
for the money spent.
Controversy Over q New Road.