The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-08-16

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Vote for Curb and Gutter, However
"A Fair Attendance at Saturday
Nights Meeting, and Diversity OF
Views Expressed Council Can
Act at Once.
The meeting of Front street proper
ty owners Saturday night, to talk over
the subject of improving that street
with the members Of the council, was
fairly attended, some thirty of them
being present when the meeting
opened, and few more dropping in
afterwards. 1t was evident from the
proceedings that those who did not
care in what manner the street was
improved had remained at home,
while everybody, with one or two eX-
captions, who were opposed to doing
more than curb and gutter this year
was on hand.
At Sis o'clock Chairman Andrews,
of the street committee, called the
meeting to order, and said that the
committee was present to listen, not
to talk, and he was glad that so many
Front street property owners were
present. He then read the petition
for the curling and guttering of
Front street, which was presented to
the council last year and was again
brought up at the instigation of in
terested parties at the last meeting.
He wished to hear from those pres
emit.
Nobody seemed willing to break the
silence that followed, until DR.. Foil
man called for the reading of the
names attached to the petition.
When these had been read, the doc
tor said that as he understood it moth
ing was said in the petition about
paving. Jno. Klein said that nothing
was talked about matchmaking when
the petition was circulated.
Stephen Lamm want to know why
only one block had been curbed and
guttered, when the whole street had
been included in the petition. The
only reason which he was ever able to
get was that the property owners
were able to pay for it. 1t was eX-
/ planned to him by Aid. Peterson that
a second petition had asked for that
| block and it only was acted upon.
S. f. Barney said that he would set
the meeting right. A petition had
been circulated to have the street
paved, and nobody but Thomas Saul
paugh among the property owners
had signed it. Then the present pc
tition had been circulated, and it was
because the people were tired of the
old hog trough which has been called
cutters since 1872. The abomnable
talk of paving is what has brought
the people out tonight. The speaker
thought that the property owners
were generally opposed to paving,
which would cost $3.50 lot. What he
wanted was to have the street curbed
and guttered and riprapped to grade.
He thought that the matter was i'm
properly before the council, anyway.
DR.. Andrews explained how the
matter is before the present council,
and called upon President Beatty fo1
remarks.
President Beatty called attention
| to his recent articles in the papers,
and said that the street work which
he had suggested was to be merely
temporary. THERE'S disposition to
have the street paved, and in view OF
it's coming pavement with brick or as
phalt by the most approved methods,
only method of matchmaking that
would laSt;a few years had been sug-
gested. If in three Or four years the
property owners want to pave, they
can remove the inexpensive covering
and pave with brick with good re-
suits, the curbing and guttering al
ready being there. He thought that
his plan would give respectable
street, and on the whole was the best
at the present time. The cross streets
should be improved at the same time,
as we'll as the sidewalks along Front
street. At best, it will be expensive.
M. G. Willard asked whether the
stone put on in April would not be
scraped off as mud in October.
Pres. Beatty replied that the best
stone in the quarries would give good
results. Unless :the macadamized
street is kept clean the lime will be-
come free and turn into dust. He
did not want to dictate and would
recommend anything that the ma
jority of the property owners want.
Pres. Beatty was put through cat