The herald., 1895-02-24
HE BUILDS
HOUSES TO CINCH THE
MUNICIPALITY
How Willy Speculator Enriches
Himself Through the Neces-
stiles of the City--fie
Locates on Lots That
Are Sure to Be
Condemned

II don't quite understand how he does
it," he said, but perhaps he's like
the Texas Justice Of the Peace who
sentenced the man for hfe''-and the old
s.. story about how 'he couldn't do it, but
he did, ;" was told again for the two hun
dred and twenty-seven thousandth time.
You say he builds houses in the streets.
Now let me understand you. Here runs a
street, and the member of the Council
drew a couple OF parallel lines across n
sheet of paper Here comes cross
street; it comes to this street here and
stops. This man knows that some day
the Council will order this cross street
opened through like this, ~ and here he
took the reporters pencil again (these
city officials are always borrowing report
ers' pencils and never returning them)
and drew line extending the cross street
on beyond the street he made at first.
"Ah, yes, it's very likely the Council
will order the street opened in a case like
that" he said. but you say this man
makes business of buying lots that are
sure to be used for streets some day? He
puts up neat little cottages on the lots ard
rents them. Well, that's all right.
Say, you reporters are enough to drive
a man to drink OF cause his reason to tot
ter on its throne. You're never happy ex
cept when you re trying to dig up some
thing, as you call it, You'd come around
the City Hall after interviews if you were
sent out to dig up the political record Of
Julius Caesar.
But hold on after pause, II don't
know about this business. You say he
buys this lot at bargain because the
owner don't like to hold it until the Coun-
Gil gets ready to open the street. and he
don't want to build on it because he knows
it's intended for street.
We'll, l begin to see the point little
better He builds the house and rents it.
That's all right; he hasn't lost anything
yet; can see that plainly. Then he waits;
that's all right; he's getting rent all this
time he's waiting SO he can afford to
wait.
Then the Council takes a hand in the
proceedings. An ordinance for the open
ing of the street is passed and commits
sioners are appointed to settle the ques-
ton of damages between the city and the
property owners. The commissioners
find this man with nice little house all
comfortably situated, lawn, flowers, trees,
fences; too bad, too bad, the poor fellow
will have to move his nice little place
we can't help it; because the street has
got to go through. Vel give him good,
big price for his place, though, because
he's taken so much pains to make it NICE
and really it's too bad to have to move
it.
tan fo 10 al al 10 n
hunting for another lot in the street for
sale cheap while the commissioners are
preparing their report to the Council, and
by the time he gets his damages from the
city he's already let contract for another
pretty little cottage.
Ibid the same thing in Minneapolis
and Kansas City you tell me? My, my,
what sly old fraud he must be. 1 don t
believe word of it, really don't believe
a word of it, it's too absurd, the bald
headed old rascal. How do you suppose
he ever thought of scheme like that?
He ought to be run out of town.
"Say, someone has been filling you up;
that's too gauzy; the commissioners
ought to look out for the old skinfint and
cinch him. You reporters are always
getting into other peoples business.
II do wish the newspapers would get re-
porters who would quote a man right
once in while. We people in public life
don't like to be made to say things we
never even thought of; it is liable to get
us into trouble with our constituents,
Now, maybe this gentleman who is build
ing these houses lives in my ward-that
is, say he might-weli, of course you'll re
not going to print this in the paper so
I'll just say, between you and me, that
think the old snoozer ought to be run
down and throttled, but don't want to
say SO publicly until l find out who he is.
You see the point, l guess--you reporters
always do"