The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-04-25
THE PAVING MATTER.

The decision of the court in the
matter of restraining the city in the
having of Broad street in which an
Injunction was granted by Judge
Cray, which prevents the city from
paying any portion of the improve
ment out of city funds, has turned on
smother phase to the paving question.
The city claims that the order of the
court does not prevent it from going
ahead with the work, by assessing the
entire cost up to the property owners
and we understand that this view is
shared by lawyers who are not inter
ested in the matter. In other words
the city holds the improvement
10 be benefit equal to the whole cost
thereof, and under the law will charge
it up to the property benefited.
There is of course no question but that
if no move had been made on the part
of the property owners, the city
would have paid out of the general
funds, the cost of the paving against
its own property, and also for the
street intersections.
Like all questions this Broad street
paving matter has two sides to it, and
undoubtedly there is much to be said
for both sides. And it may be that
there has been certain disregard to
rights upon both sides also. The city
hoo fhn vi hf tn
and pave if it is a matter of public
necessity. Of course there will always
be those who will contend it is not q
matter of public necessity no matter
how much it may be needed. There is
one thing, however, that does not
look right to the Free Press, even
though the improvement may be
benefit to the property adjacent equal
to its entire cost, and that is, that the
cost for the paving against Lincoln
park and also against the public
library property be put upon the
property owners, instead of being paid
for outof the city treasury, andsyet under
the Judges order, the city is restrain
ed from standing the cost which it
would undoubtedly be willing to do,
if it could. One of the objections made
TO the paving BY some is to the ma
terial used.
1t is unfortunate that this con-
tention has arisen just at time
when there seems to be every
indication that the city is about to
take great step in advance. The
Improvement by the Milwaukee and
the Great Western roads is most i'm
portant and means the outlay of large
sums of money here this season. The
building of an electric street line
seems practically assured, ana viii
give a great impetus to the progress o.
the city. Then various small manufac
turing interests are locating here, o.
looking this way with the probability
of coming, all tending to make Man
kato's immediate future very bright
But coming right down to tn
ground floor of the paving matter
there is no question, ssbut if the worl
of paving had been commenced o.
Front street where it really ought t
have started, and thus proceeded wit
the several parallel streets in success
sion, much if not all of this troubl
would have been avoided. But TIL
feature it is too late to discuss. LII
council called meeting of propert
holders interested on the street, to dis
cuss the matter of paving and ais
materials to be used but we under
stand that only few responded. an
they expressed themselves not only
favor of paving, but largely in fave
of asphalt. So it would seem that TT
other property owners have only then
selves to blame if they preferred brio
or objected to it at all.