The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-12
MAYOR EMPHATICO ON
SUMMIT AVENUE
PAVING
Gives 1t Out Plainly That if
the Council Passes Order
for surfacing With Gravel
1t Will Be Over His Veto
His Position Upheld by
Numerous Protests Re
ceiyed by the Council.

If Summit avenue, from Dale street
to the river, is surfaced with gravel, it
viii be done by the council over the di-
rect veto Of Mayor Smith. If neces-
sary, he will go upon the floor of the
council chamber and fight the propo-
sition to a finish.
This is what Mayor Smith yesterday
told j. w. Cooper, of the firm of Griggs
Il Cooper, who called to see if he could
not change the mayors mind, and fol-
lowing it he Immediately posted in hot
haste a telegram to Mayor Johnson, of
Cleveland, Ohio, asking him for infor-
nation regarding the length of Euclid
avenue in that city; what it was paved
with, and the cost.
Asphalt Only.
81 think I'll make a few people in ST.
Paul ashamed of themselves when I
get an answer to that telegram" said
the mayor. Euclid avenue in Cleve-
land has the reputation of being the
finest residence street in the United
States, and Summit avenue is consider
ed its only rival. If the people of this
city can stand idly by n allow our
reputation to wane, then l propose to
let the world know who did 1t. Asphalt
only will satisfy me. To think of sur
facing the only rival of Cleveland's fin
est street with gravel. Why, 1 can't
believe 1t. Here we have been ordering
costly paving on streets where in some
instances we had to confiscate the
property to meet the expense, and to
think of ~surfacing hi finest street in
the United States with gravel because
1t is cheap. An inch of ground on Sum
NIT avenue is worth more than a foot
on other streets. Why, the whole thing
is absurd. Veto the gravel proposition?
Yes, If it was the last thing 1 ever did"
Protests Were Futile.
Mr.. Cooper labored long in his en-
deaVor yesterday to try and convince
the mayor that the property owners of
Summit avenue beyond Dale street
could not stand an assessment for as
phalt, but he might as we'll have tried
to move a stone wall. The argument
was entirely friendly, but it bordered
on loud words, and his honor was not
"a bit chary in using them.
l Will veto the gravel order" he told
Mr.. Cooper. as he was leaving, "and [
will fight nyHeffort to pass the order
over my veto"
The proposition to gravel Summit
avenue similar to the driveways in the
city parks came from the assembly
originally, it being introduced in that
body by Assemblyman Doran. He pre-
pared the order, at the instance of J.
w. Cooper, who has just purchased the
Rush b. Wheeler residence on Summit
"'OHnC, anu olIleIS, VINO mace the eX-
cuse that asphalt for the present was
too costly.
Not Likely to Pass.
1t is hardly likely that the order to
gravel will. be- passed over Mayor
Smiths Veto-at least the board of al
dermen Will refuse to do it. Since the
proposition to gravel became public,
Mayor Smith has received a large num-
Der of letters protesting against it, and
members of both the assembly and the
board of aldermen have been in recent
of like communications.
1t is probable that instead of the
gravel order a preliminary order to
pave the street with asphalt will be
considered instead. Mayor Smith says
that If nothing else, the street should
be paved as far as the short line bridge.
From there on to the river, he says,
can wait until it is better built up.