The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-16

il in that obscure place for that reason
He has been paying for that home with
struggle. He has foregone pavement ana
sidewalk for ten years. He has never seen
Virginia avenue. Why should his humble
home be taxed TO pay for resurfacing Viz
ginia avenue and Washington street, ana
all other streets? But what about the
owners on Meridian street that have paid
for three pavements? Shall they now be
called upon 10 help pay for resurfaclng
fifty or 100 others, none or whom NAYS
helped pay for resurfacing Meridian street!
But leaving all this out of the question:,
the law is passed. After street is once
improved, future improvements must oe
paid out of the general fund, or by the Is,
suance of bonds. We are at our BOND
limit now, so that puts that out OF the
question. They must be paid for out OF the
general fund or not at ALL
THE charter now provides that the resi-
dent property owners on a street can name
the kind of improvement by Ming petit
ton. The present board has modined un-
der this clause. resolutions calling for brick
and asphalt to macadam. If they can do
that, why not to gravel? When ii became
known that after the property once made
the Improvement the city became holden
not only for repairs, but for new street,
would we get anything better than mac
adam or gravel? The cleaning, sprinkling
anu repairing of which cost in the aggre-
gate three times, at least, what 1t costs TO
clean and repair modern pavement. The
cleaning, sprinkling and repairing alone or
any considerable area OF macadam streets
would increase the tax levy to an extent
that would alarm the conservatives; add
TO this the cost of reSurfacing, and you can
easily see the result Public officials could
not be found that would put the levy. at the
necessary altitude, and If they did, they
would be retired from Office at the first
election What would be the result! Inc
streets would. in a few years. be as though
they had never been paved, and Indianap-
oils the beautiful, would be on the toboS-
gan and her only chance Tor resurr sSan,d
swing the other way on account OF some
great vent that would stir civic pride and
lift people out of themselves
A PRESENT REALITY.
DO not think that this is some gloomy
picture that L have conjured up. 1t is a
reality right before you, and has been re-
peated in many other cities. Look at Mil
waukee. Buffalo was only saved by the
fair Look at ST. Louis. She was once
where we are, and then through the very
steps we are going, she went TO the bot
tom. The conservatives got the law by
constitutional amendment so that the city
could not pave street unless the whole
or most of it were paid out of the general
fund The paving of Olive street with
asphalt put the city out OF the paving busi-
ness for several years, because ii had no
money. When the fair was proposed they
could not have Ii because the city was in
such fearful condition, but whatever had
to be done they had to have the fair. 1t
took two-thirds of the vote to amend the
Constitution The united efforts of all the
PAPERS the fair directors, both political
parties were all required to change the
Constitution, but it was done. Repaving,
resurfacing everything is now against the
property The limit of taxation was fixed
so that st. Louis could get about S12 600, 000
besides.
Hundreds of miles of macadam pave
ment had been laid because they could
lay no other kind. vow has been regis
tered down there that there is to be no
more of these, and all that exist are to be
repaved with some other material They
postponed the fair a year to enable them
to make the city presentable. Hundreds of
miles of pavements will have to be laid, it
is estimated, to accomplish 1T. Now, why
was all this? Was ii not because when
| the live, progressive men who had built
| up the city lost interest in 1T by closer
| attention TO their own affairs, little by
| little the city began to slip back and be-
| fore they realized it the city was the
| back track, and there was no help for ii
except by radical effort? Would it not
| have been better to have pursued the me-
| dunn line?
I'VE can very easily get our city into the
| same condition; in fact unless some posi-
tive action is taken the coming Legislature
will be asked 20 amend the laws still fur
Their in this direction.
Following Mr.. Kenyon's paper, Otto
| Stechhan read a short paper, advocating
| the proposition to resurface the streets al
the expense of the abutting property. The
| guests then repaired to the dining room
| where refreshments were served and q
social half-hour enjoyed.