The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-16
SUhDRY THINKS. q
About Streets, Awnings, OIdHorses
and Dogs.

Some of our streets are sadly In mead of
attention and in fact may become almost
impassable If not cared for soon. Frank
lin road between Tenth avenue and be f.
tom OF the hill is in very bad shane. It
is rough and covered 10 places with larue
loose stones that render driving very ,iis.
agreeable. This is one of the streets
much used by people coming in from the
country as we'll as the people of the
Southwest section of the city who arc
compelled to come down town that way
or to go Il long distance around. This
street has never stood satisfactorily the
work that was put upon it o. few years
ago and each heavy rain that comes
makes it worse. The car track in many
places is some distance above the road
way. This is dangerous, especially so on
hill wherein the grade is as heavy
as that on Franklin road. 1t wouli'
seem that the old saying that ga stitch
in time saves nine,'; might apply here
and that it would be cheaper to fix this
street now than to wait until the cost
will be so much creator. The question
of fixing things reminds us again OF that
sewer opening at the corner of Seventh
avenue and Jefferson street s. w. 1t
would not do any great amount of dam
age to remedy that little.
Aside from all political reasons it Is in.
deed good thing that there is some pros
pect of having the Hon. VIM. j. BRYAN to
speak here. If the committee entrusted
with the mission of invitation succeeds
in gaining his consent to come to Roam
oke, there will he demonstration here
that has never been accorded any public
man before in the history of the city. IL
will be great day for Roanoke. TO the
number OF about SEQ prominent stran-
gers already present here as deleg ,tes to
the convention, people will flock in from
the East and the West and the North and
the South. Again we say, lay all party
prejudice aside and unite one and all in
grand effort to show our city off to the
best ac vantage. We are called the "Magic
City"--a title well deserved. We have
never been known to do anything but
'the thing when occasion has arisen.
In the event of Mr. Bryans coming we
will have an opportunity to let people
know that we are still here. Our citizens
are broad minded enough to take advan.
tage of such chance.
Why has the buying and selling of old
broken-down hoi SEES on the vacant lot
near the Terry building become such n
small affair nowadays 1t has not been
long since these poor old beasts were
made to cavort and caricole around and
around that lot for the benefit of lot of
men who would probably not know a
horse from Il COW if they met 1t in the
road. 1t was disgrace TO the city and
should be a source of pleasure to very one
that this Exchange" has decreased in
popularity. A drunken man on "a Door
horse is a combination that must excite
Indignation. We wonder if there is not
in the great hereafter some place for
horses.
It is rum ored that there are parties in
the city who are here with a view to in.
vesting in one of our most pro minent en-.
terprises. If this is true it is certainly q
sign that confidence in our city and it's
future has not been lost. The amount of
money that such an investment would
require would surely not be brought here
If we were not thought we'll of. We trust
that these parties have read our horoscope
Alright and that trusting thereto they may
bring all the money here they can rake
and scrape together.
Some time ago we called attention to
the awnings along our streets and the in
convenience caused to pedestrians by
them. They are too low. Ladies carry
ing bundles otter have their hats knocked
over their eyes by their paiasols and the
awnings coming into collision. Men are
seen daily poking their umbrellas around
in other peoples faces and in their own in
vain endeavor to get under an awning
without having to lower the umbrella or
walking out in the roadway. a dry
goods box or two, II nice large fruit stand
and few barrels with the ends of the
hoops standing out and n low awning are
all very nice in their way-but the tron-
hle is their way is not altogether the way
OF n public that cares anything for COM
forr, clothing, the skin on its nose or the
beloved umbrellas. II their way is not
that OF the public the question must
stand-who is to be considered the public
or these distractions. Answer-Both.
Does it seem reasonable that there
should be any one in this large free coun-
try of ours so base as to steal n whole dog
in order to get the license tag upon it's
collar, However impossible this may
seem it has evidently been done in one
instance recently. Both dog and tag have
disappeared. 1t would seem that any
one sharp enough to steal mt all would
see that with such ill-gotten booty in their
possession they run very great risk of
being detected They may make away
With the dog, but the tag is dangerous
piece of evidence in case it should ever be
examined and questions asked Playing
tag with strange dogs is also dangerous.
~. TRAMP
ADVANCING BACK WARDS.
y police census of Baltimore. lust ia
ken, shows that there are 4,031 vacant
houses in Baltimore, or $50 more than in
1895.
There nre 5G6 b1Siupcc bouso, ,.ooa,t