The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-19
THEY WANT REPAIRS
CASTOR STREET PROPERTY OWN
ERS ARE NOT SATISFIED.
WANT THE SHELL RESTORED.
DO NOT LIKE PROSPECT FOR A
LONG TERN OF SAND.

Acting Mayor Dixon Interested the
Property Owners by His Statement
That Council VIII Not Repair the
Street with SbeII-Mr. George w.
Owens, One of the Property own
ers, Declares That the Council
Will, in That Case, Prove DereIict
in Its Duty-That the City Has
Been Restrained From Putting
Down Brick, Mr.. Owens Holds,
Does Not Relieve 1t of the Duty of
Repairing the street.
Acting Mayor James NJ. Dixon inter
ested the CASTOR street property own
ers by his expression relative to re-
pairing the pavement on that street,
which appeared in the Morning News
it did not like the prospect of the
street receiving no attention from the
city.
Mr.. George W. Owens, a CASTOR
street property owner, one of the at
torneys for the plaintiffs and whose
name is In the lead in the case of
George w. Owens ct al. VS.. the Mayor
pending before Judge Speer of the
United States Court, who has granted
an order restraining the city from lay
ing a brick pavement, was seen, said
that he had not heard the question of
shell repairs to the street mooted, but
that he was certainly surprised to see
an admission from the acting mayor
a tynnld hat ha
expects to be derelict to what is plain
ly it's duty.
1T Is the duty of the city to put
CASTOR street in proper repair" de-
clared Mr.. Owens. THE mere fact
that 1t has been restrained by the
United States Court from paving the
street with vitrifed brick does not re-
lieve it from the duty of restoring the
street to proper condition with shell.
Suppose there had never been any
question of shell on the street at all.
Suppose that it were a sand street, and
this matter of paving 1t with brick
had been brought up and AN ordinance
authorizing the work had been passed
by Council. Suppose then that the
property owners had secured the inter
vention of the court and that then a
great storm had come and burst out
the sewer on the street. Would not
the the city then be in duty bound to
repair the street? This is an analog-
Gus case. The city should repair the
street with shell. 1t is certainly not
relieved by the circumstances now sur
rounding the CASTOR street case"
Mr.. Owens was asked If property
owners would have any recourse in
law If the street were allowed to re-
main in its present condition, or if no
repair work is done upon 1t until af-
ter the case before the United States
Court is settled. should get in worse
shape. He said that an appeal could
certainly be made to the courts, as the
City Council is responsible for the dis
charge of its duties to the people.
with this Council" said Mr. Owens,
lit semes to me that the popular idea
that public officers are servants of the
people has been controverted into the
view that the people are the servants
of the officers"
Mr.. w. H. Wade. a CASTOR street res
ident and an attorney for the plain
ty owners might do, but he replied, like
Mr.. Owens, that he had not heard the
matter discussed. Mr.. Wade said,
however, that it would be unfortunate
IL the street had to wait for repairs un-
til such time as the case may be set
tied.