The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-10
MORE PARKS; NOT LESS.
Giving Them Policy Not to he
CONNIE nded.

Giving Them Policy Not to he
Commended.
While 1t takes all sorts of people to make
a world, it also requires all sorts of at
fractions to make up a city. In common
with all other cities in this great country,
Savannah is a competitor for population.
1t is not every man who is controlled by
the utilitarian test of the best place to
make living in" when selecting a home
health and amusement are the prime
requisites with the man of means and leis-
uY Therefore 1t is that beautifylng the
city and surroundings become of more
importance to some than TO others.
In this connection comes the improving
of roads, making good drives, for which
the County Commissioners deserve great
commentator. Yet we are behind the
times in furnishing to our people resorts
to drive to. Oglethorpe gave us parks for
the children; later, Forsyth park was Civ
en- to us-and Swhat would Savannah be
without IL? Two little parks in the south
ern session, Thomas place and Wells
square, supply GASES in the desert of
human habitations for rest and recreation.
What lies beyond? Land, land every
where. but none for parks-land owned by
companies and syndlcates and estates,
held at prices based on the value of city
lots. VIII the municipality ever buy any
of it for parks? Will there ever be poll
tcian Independent enough to suggest it,
or will there ever be enough money in the
treasury to warrant such a purchase?
Win some one donate a park? These
sort of people don't live around Savannah.
If they did, Council might not feel able
to make walks through it, Shall we then
only leave TO our children these few little
nrA1 I'll left hHr lg1a bnr afAP
In our very near two centuries of eXis-
tence can we only evolve from our civil
lization three little lungs for future
generations?
Surely Oglethorpe's mantel cannot have
fallen on any of his successors in office l
feel sure that Alderman Haas only in
tends to test his fellow councilmen by the
resolution of inquiry concerning the mag
nificent gift of the county to the city of
Savannah. Give up three hundred acres
of land donated to the citizens of SaVan-
nah! What would future generations say
of a Council that would do this? This
land belongs to 10000 men, women and
children and their children and grand
children. This would be step-nay,
stride backward. Many improvements in
the city will remain as monuments to the
present administration, but they all VIII
be forgotten if this great mistake is made.
There are few pieces of woodland In the
vicinity of this city possessing greater nat
ural beauty than the land given by the
county to the city for a park. 1t is much
nearer the city than most people imagine
and is a natural park, requiring only to
be underbrushed and roads put through 1t
to be useful. 1t is neither a mild swampy
waste or a cypress swamp; if 1t was either
of them II would not be fit to plant corn in
for the convicts. The trolley road
to the Isle of Hope passes through it,
~ H.
ture of money and with the aid of the
county conYicts, it could be opened up to
the enjoyment of the people. 1t Is sur
rounded by county land, which would be
enhanced in value by the improvements
of the park. The time must come when
this county land will be sold and the pro-
ceeds used to reduce taxation.
Is it not rue that taxpayers would
rather have $1,000 per annum used to beau
tify a place when each individual would
feel that he had a right to spend a day
in recreation and enjoyment than to be-
lleve that more than a thousand per year
was spent on useless offices, or paid to
men VINO could not make the same salary
in private life? Taxpayers do not object
to paying out money in beauufying their
property, and that administration that will
show that the taxes are spent in internal
improvements will give the most satisfac-
ton to the people, and be kept longest in
office. This matter appeals to the rank
and file of the people. 1t most affects
those who are not able to seek respite
from the "carping cares" of life at Sara
toga or Asheville, but who can only af-
ford a day in the woods occasionally. That
is the class that will get the most out of
the park, and 1t will be a wrong done to
them to say that they shall not have it.
II should be a cause for regret that
the city is not able to acquire more parks
There should be a Riverside Park or
Drive. There are no more beautiful nat
ural parks or more enjoyable drives than
are to be found above the city on the
Savannah river. Potter's Grove, the old
picnic ground, fr. Lathrop's plantation
the Grange, all possess natural beauty
equal to Bonaventure these are lost TO
our people because of being private prop
erty. If we cannot buy more parks, do
let us keep what has been given to us.
SeneX.