The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1902-02-22
CAN WE AFFORD EXTENSIVE SEWERS
In ELKTON.
Editor Cecil Wing" =

Editor Cecil Whig":-
It's dollars to doughnuts that
PRO Bono Publico," who talks so glibly
about Sewers for ElktOn," referring to
an extensive system, is not taxpayer
and is quite Indifferent to the rights OF
property owners and renters within the
limits Of this lOng-suffering and over
burdened community. No town in Mary
land is less in need of sewers than is
Elkton, which has an almost perfect
natural drainage. What is needed here
is properly constructed cutters. As it is,
there are not a thousand feet of cutters
proper in the town. Why, too, should
PRO Bono Publico" or any other we'll
intentioned crank raise the bugaboo OF
the public health? What's the matter
with the towns health? The average
Elktonian has lived and continues to live
to a ripe age. Barring an occasional ty-
phoid fever scare the people have had
| little to keep them awake at nights for
more than a decade past.
But, admitting that all the so-called
typhoid cases were Of the genuine stamp,
| what effect would sewers have in pre-
venting or mitigating the typhoid
scourge? Our large cities are supplied
| with costly sewerage system, and, yet,
| typhoid and other scourges ravage them
in and out Of season. Sewers are con-
| veniences and yet nuisances, and more
| frequently the latter than the former.
Lots of good things are over-worked, and
one of the hardest worked Of latter day
"fads' is so-called Sanitation. Santa
| ton has much to commend it; but there
are too many superficial. self-sufficient
and supercilious sanitarians. When they
get fairly started they don't know where
to stop and never count the cost Of their
superserviceable zeal.
The cost Of sewers forbids their con-
| struction in Elkton. II the town had n
| taxable basis double or triple that which
it really has, it might be worth while to
| consider the eXpediency OF laying
thirty or forty or fifty thousand dollars
in sewers to serve the convenience Of
the Swell residence sections OF the COM
munity, but to saddle such a burden upon
the next generation OF taxpayers would
be quite too high-handed step to be
| tolerated by its common-sense residents.
Property owners would not be justified
in sanctiOning the extra taxation which
| sewers would require. Houses here now
pay the maximum OF rent that can be
gotten out of them. Sewers would not
| enable owners to get higher rents for
property, and but few of the towns re-
sidcnts would derive any benefit from
sewerage system. be its cost reasonable
or eXtravagant.
There is not a man in Elkton competent
to estimate the cost of an adequate sys-
tenn of sewers, and the towns assessed
or actual valuation is not sufficient to
warrant the outlay of as little as S10,-
600 to serve the convenience of certain
Of it's residents who might gain some
trifiing conveniences at the cost, and
probably Mt the risk of its whole popula-
ton. Elkton is pretty live town and
is growing gradually, but it is not
city, and is not prepared to assume a
city's burdens. Let our live citizens and
capitalists strive to locate new industries
here and thus add to the towns popula-
ton and valuation, and then we can at
ford to set up az u small city and as
| sumo its burdens. Meanwhile let us
worry along as best we may with the
means available.
A WEST ENDER.
Elkton, February Goth, 1902.