The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-01-17
TIRED TAX PAYERS
WHOLE CART LOADS OF VALU-
ABLE LEGS.
Wichita Offers Superior Induce
ments for the Establishment OF
a Mandatory of Artificial
Limbs and Something
Must be Doae.

! The taxpayers Of Wichita are facing ,
| very serious question, problem thai
| grows more perpiexing daily and contin
! ously more expensive. Wichita has com.
| menced to grow restless under a burden
| hourly growing heavier, which was very
largely imposed by the greed of irresponsi-
| bic contractors. The city has upwards o
one hundred miles of wooden sidewalks, u
large per cent. of which was put down
within the space OF two years. or from four
to six years ago. put down by fellows no
worked the petition racket aud then work
ed the city council; put down along miles
of vacant lots and blocks through specula-
tive additions, miles aud miles away; put
down in spite Of the protests of those
who bad them to pay fol
and where nobody. the contractors
excepted wanted them. Two and q halt
by three inch stringers, inch and quarter
| boards. right down on the ground for
miles and miles of il left to rot or to be
pulled up for kindling. The EAGLE said i,
was fraud, an outrage and one that all
would live to regret. But everybody 5
| business was nobody's business aud who
might hold wien drunk on boom.
There is not to exceed fifteen or twenty
miles of permanent sidewalk In all the
city aud the limit OF the life of very
large per cent of the pine board and light
| stringers contract walk is about reached.
Miles of it is weak and shaky, rotten aud
full of holes and Mayor Cox and the city
council are perplexed what to do in face Of
the bills for broken legs, sprained ankles
and wrenched hoots that are being
presented as damages for liquidation.
The striDgers being there and laid on the
level ground it is hardly ever to exceed
two TO four inches through to solid earth,
but somebody seems eternally intent on
poking their fins or pegs through some
hole giving their legs q yank and then
suing the city. From the number of such
bills ranging from three to five Thousand
dollars in amounts brought in by old
women one would conclude that there
must be an organized society of them
hunting holes. If man. especially il he
be non-taxpayer, but stubs his toe n
lawyer is Immediately consulted aud 4
bill Of costs preferred. The craze has
struck the colored population. One. ons-
legged darkey has bill now before the
council demanding money for damage
done and sustained by his wooden
leg" which wooden leg is but
stub of club or something like that.
Within certain limits all sidewal ks
oush to be permpnent, of brick, stone or
cement, within which limit all cheap
wooden sidewalk should be taken up and
thus replaced, the taking up to be done ut
once within such limits, of all sidewalks
that are rotten or deemed dangerous,
whether replaced Immediately or not. The
Taxpayer would rather the perambulator
should walk in mud up to the knees than
to pay five thousand dollars for a useless
leg or for a leg Of which he has no use or
interest iu. A reasonable time. say three
or four months, should be given resident
lot owners within such limited distance.
to replace the torn up sidewalk, with
brick or stone or cement. Outside of such
limit the problem is hard one. The
owners of the fronting property can't af-
ford to rebuild aad the city couldn't af-
ford to do SO either and take the chances
Of making the expense out of the
property. But the damage suit
business must be shut of where there
seems to be so many tender legs of age
aud unsoundness. The walks might be
pulled aside and on to the adjoining lois
and left for the benefit of the owner, by
the city or otherwise the city might run
rope across or put up a board with the
sign dangerous. There ought to be. must
be some plan of preventing the impecuu-
ious tramp from striking out five miles
into an abandoned addition shutting his
eyes and poking his five Thousand dollar
pedal extremity through ten cent hole
in the sidewalk made by some stray cow.
Mayor Cox, who put in a righteous veto
on the Maiu street sidewalk contract, is
more worried over the problems which
the class of walks referred TO above
presents. Both he and the council realize
that something must be done. some gen.
eral policy adopted and adhered to and
that Immediately. Cinder walks are unsat-
isfactory even in this country where there is
so little mud, principally for tho reason
that there is no pains taken to meet the
specifications AS to either thickness, width
or smoothness by most Of the parties who
obtain permission to put them down; but
cinder sidewalks for the outlying districts
would prove much preferable to perforated,
ramshackls traps, broken worn-out legs,
and suits for heavy damages aud attor.
neys' fees.