Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1901-03-12

Mr.. w. T. Thornton, who hrst
numbered the houses I'm this city ~
1897, is in the city and hands us
the following Communications in re-
gard to the hullaballoO kicked up
over free delivery:
First Not a Division Street.
EDITOR KENTUCKIAE:
My attention has just been c. lied
to an article in local print ia
which "a U. s. postoftice inspector
is quoted as saying that he viii ot
report favorably upon free deli serT
for your city unless you do aw4y
with your present excellent sy stem
of house numbering and take First
street as a starting or dividng
point.
do not know this gentleman. out
the opinion readsas ifcomIng from a
backwoods hill-yillage where every
citizen is especially qualified to ~
diligently discuss municipal house,
mum boring.
The idea of using for dividing
line such short and unimportanS
thoroughfare as First street 80
your city, is absurd, standing ab--
solutely without precedent in any
modern American city, and no gen-
tleman dare dispute this point Withr
me-provIding he IS ready to back
his opinion with hrs money,
Where there is no water or other
permanent line for a starting point,
it is the almost universal American
custom TO divide the town into iJue
parts by the two principal interseet-
ling streets. Your ordinance pro
vides for this very thing, and adopts
the, so-called, Philadelphia plan
for numbering. This is the ON =
practical and modesDplan, and y an
followed out faithfully in numbe-
ing the houses for your first d.
rectory. Is it not an injustice 10
those few hundreds of public
spirited citizens who have shown
their civic pride by putting up and
paying forhouse nun bers which Il e.
hav- grown accustomed TO, FOR No,
GOOD REASON, 10 now force them to.
change,
But one improvement can be
made in your existing system which,
while not at all necessary, would
make it complete and equal to thar
of any city.
That is to have Your North and
South numbers agree with your
numbered streets. This can best
be accomplished, NOT by change
of house-numbers but by giving
some streets different names. May
Isuggest plan?
Seventh street toe present and
proper dividing line, name Goebel
dNCnuC, olui hdhC y II 81 SlIGCkS.
9th named Second street and so on
to the Southern limits. Thus, the
Bank, cor. 9th and Main would be
No. 200 Main, corner Second. 20OO
South Main would be corner South
Main and both.
North of Goebel avenue the first
street, now 9th, call Upper First
street; the next Upper Second street
and so on North 70 limits. Thus
1000 North Main would appear at
the corner Of Upper Twentieth
street.
Put Up or Shut Up.
will pay $500 reward for the
first satisfactory evidence showing
that any house numbered by me ia
Hopkinsville was, through any
error of mine or fault of ordinance
now in force, so incorrectly num-
bered that any qualified u. S. mail
carrier could not easily and readily
find said house by said number, or,
If said ordinance, adopting, the So
called, Philadelphia plan of house
numbering, contains anything in
conflict with existing postal regula-
tons regarding the free delivery of
mail by carriers in cities entitled
to same.
Proof TO be furnished to Mr.. G.
M. Meacham, 2l2 South Main street
and to be satisfactory to the Mayor
and Civ En0inaar of Hookfno