El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-07-23
Judge Crosby and the City Hall.

Magoffin, published in the morn
ing paper, referred to Judge Crosby
as if ne were the only one to be con-
sidered in the matter of the city hall
site. The HERALD reporter asked Mr..
Crosby il be could enlighten the public
little as to bis position on the ques-
tion. He sad:
eyes. 1t would appear from the
published interview in the Times. with
his honor, Mayor Magoffin, that Judge
Crosby has presented himself as
the only Obiector to the building of
the proposed city hall on the site of
the triangular park at the intersection
of San Antonio and Myrtle streets.
To be thus singled out as an obstacle,
knowing of all the enterprises tending
to the welfare of Ell PasO which l have
set on foot and have been somewhat in
fiuentisl in bringing to success, is
my only excuse for giving attention to
the extraordinary tenor of the inter
view of the Times with mis- honor Ma
yor Magoffin.
I'm this very remarkable interview
the mayor states that the best place in
the city for the location of the city
hall is on the site of the before men
toned park, and among other things
he says that in his opinion the stalls OF
the horses of the fire department would
be kept as clean as any front yard in
the city OF Ell Paso. And further the
-agacious mayor forecasts that the
business center of the city will soon be
around this park and that the residen-
tial property will have to give away
and be moved out, or submit to taxa
ton of their ground as business prop
erty..
'FOf course the various churches, con-
cert hall and resid properties Dor
4 voorlx q v,f tho ny-
thOdOx opinion of the mayor, namely,
that the aroma proceeding from these
stables will be as fragrant as the
beautifully tended flowers which adorn
the front yard of the mayors magnifi-
cent mansion: and the further asser-
ton of his honor that the contiguous
property will become more valuable
for business than residential location.
certainly cuts no figure. The fact still
remains that these valuable improve
ments, including two churches, would
never have been made but for the
guarantee, actual or implied, that the
city had accepted and fenced in this
space and authorized the planting of
trees, grass, etc. as permanent park.
"Since l have been singled out by
his honor, the mayor, l have to say,
that l have expended in the cOnstruc-
ton of permane home for my fami-
ly and in the identifying and adorn-
ment of the premises, fully es much as
the amount proposed to be expended in
city hall and fire department., not one
dollar of which. to say nothing OF the
ten years care and labor of my wife and
family in beautifying this place, would
ever have been expended but for the
fact that the city had actually and i'm
pliedly adopted this vacaot space as a
park for the use of the people living
contiguous thereto, the Christian
church, the Presbyterian church and
the public school.
ITO this end | am prepared to prove
that l personally expended several
hundred dollars out of my own pocket
park as we'll as planting all of the
trees now growing thereon and many
others which have been suffered to
wither and die because the city
claimed that they could not stand the
expense of the water to preserve them
Beyond this 1 donated to the city with
out cost, after selecting this place for
my residence. more than one half the
width of Myrtle street, in front of my
residence and the Presbyterian church
for distance of 280 feet. / submit to
any fair, candid, and impartial citizen
the query as to whether the churches,
residences, and other edifices named
would have been constructed had it not
been for the fact that the city had
accepted this vacant space, fenced it
in, and authorized a private individual
to expend his none y for the besutif
ing thereOf-hsd it not beea a.
least eQuitably understood that the
same was to be reserved and main tain
ed as pubic park for the use and ben
eft OF all the citizens of Ell Paso.
&Ia
Daniel come TO jud gment, says: This
section of Ell Paso is soon to become
the business center and Judge Crosby
will have to move back or pay taxes on
his ground as business property |
suppose that in this category the Pres
byterian church, the Christian church.
and other buildings bord ering this
park will likewise, under the decision
of this eminent forecaster, be COM
PEELED to move back so as to surrender
the space now occupied by their re-
purposes 1t doesn't matter
much, | infer, what the
character of that business is. Now as
for myself and my family, we have
expended from eighteen to twenty
Thousand dollars in q home which we
supposed we were to enjoy for life.
Our residence cannot be without n
large expenditure IFduS1OFm6Q lDUO q
business house, but his honor the
mayor says, in the spirit no doubt OF
kindly advice, Crosby can move
back. :" What cOnsummnte idiocy. Will
the mayor thorough his accommodate
ing council :provide the means to pay
the freight on this not inconsder-
able undertaking? If so, I am con-
tent, and will move back no matter
how far from this djsgraceful viola
tion of the city's implied con-
tract with the churches and other
structures fronting on this park
"When the city's business center is
located, as his honor says, out San An
tonic and Myrtle. streets, / hope as well
wisher and old friend of his honor the
mayor that Magof1in avenue will have
some show in the business. But what
nonsense. to talk of business center
where on there are two churches,
three residences, and one music hall on
Myrtle street, and court house On an
entire square on San Antonio street.
Is there no hope for business center
on Ell Paso street or on ST. Louis
street with ali their fine buildings.
AS to the legal aspect of this cues