Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-04-26
ALEX ANDRIANS.

To the Editor OF the Alexandria Gazette
have seldom read more forcible ar.
ticle than that which appeared in your is
sac of last Saturday over the signature { (
T. VR. He is emphati ally right in
his declaration that we were satisfied
with our streets until Shepherd i'm
proved those of Washington. He
might have added that this was done
with great less to many of the small
and poor property holders OF that city,
some of whom we're compelled to sscri-
fee their little homes. secured by long
labor and many sacrifices, to procure
the means of paying the heavy assess
ments upon them, and that these were
bought by capitalists, who thss profit.
ed greatly by the lossss of the poor, the
widow and the orphans. Let me add
TO his array of facts few words about
the recent (snd probably presently con-
ditiou of the streets OF many of the
most Aourishil & cities outside OF Vir-
sipia. Sixteen years ago Montreal, the
chief commercial city of Canada, had
lard l think she still has far worse
streets than Alexsndris, So had many
o. the smaller, yet furnishing, cities of
New York State, Pennsylvania and
Ohio, not to speak OF those OF Mary
land, which are suill worse. We have,
however, in Virginia, still better IL
lustration of the folly of attribnting
he dscadeLce of Alexandris's trade to
bad paving. There is Newport News,
which twenty years ago did not exis
and has DOW some twenty-five thou
sand inhabitants. Property and rents
are higher there than in any city In the
&C mmonwesltb, yet her fire engines
are sometimes stalled 10 the streets (at
least her newspapers say so) end every.
body who goes there in wet weather
has to wade in mud TO take or leave
the cars or her principal business
street, which is not paved at all,
though, now that her revenues have be.
come larger. paving is to commence.
Her sidewalks, even on Washington
avenue, are, in some places, q ludi-
crous combination of granolithic brick,
planks and the original soil, and that
where there are elegant buildings such
as Alexandria does not possess.
The good old town OF Hampton, too,
has her principal streets In far worse
condition than those OF Alexandris;
yet, in q very few years. she has grown
from mere village OF 700 people to a
place of 1000, with many beautiful res
licences and some buildings much finer
than any of ours. Even in Richmond,
which has grown since the war from o
population of 40 900 to one OF 100, 900,
many of the streets In the parts OF the
city where the finest buildings are have
merely grsveled roadways and pave
ments in some cases worse than
ours: as are also many In the
yery centres OF trade. Yet she now
has employment for all her people
who will work, and pieces OF property
purchased Is or 20 years ago for $40, 600
can now be sold for $4,000. But, then,
the Richmond people don't 90 off some.
where else to buy their furniture and
the eir clothes, nor do those of Newport
News or Hampton. They build up
their own trade and Hampton has tc-
day more and better stores than Alex
andria, though che has not half her
population. Even the little town OF
Phoebus, of 5000 people, with mud
streets and few pavements OF any sort.
approaches her closely.
OF course fine pavements are desir-
able. and if Mr.. Hill's proposition to re-
fund the debt at 2 per cent. or per
cent. could be carried out, 1t would be
advisable to have them; but with taxes
Estate and city) OF 2 $40 per cent. fur
ther taxation would ruin Alezandris.
Ask property holders what interest
,hev get on their investments, aud you
will ace. AN OLD ALEX aNDRIAN.