The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-03-28
THE STREET PAVING PROPOSITION.

AAAL 0ANLLA AANAN0 hNO
The street paving proposition for
Lexington is receivable into just two
significant questions: LIST, Is it desira-
BILE? and End, If it is desirable, how
is the cost to be metz
As to the first of these propositions,
the presumption is certainly in favor
Of an affirmative answer. The best
and most enterprlslng towns in
Missouri and other states are trying
it and reporting favorably. The
testimony Of towns Of five or SIX
thousand inhabitants IS practically
unanimous to the verdict that brick
paved streets are cleaner and in the
end cheaper. Moreover such streets
create an impression Of enterprise,
increase the value Of property,
strengthen confidence, encourage in
vestments, stimulate private improve
ments and inspire civic pride.
How is the cost to be met? The
only plan by which this end has ever
been been successfully attained in
settled communities is by the taxa
tion Of AUDITING property. In new
countries. like Oklahoma. where
towns sprung up in a night the lnhab-
itants sometimes drew upon the
future by issuing bonds to pave
streets, build school houses, establish
sewer systems, acquire water plants,
sc. The property was not there yet
to tax. The plan Of taxing AUDITING
property could not be applied, or if
attempted, could have no other result
than to have transferred business to
other places. But in settled com
munities no other plan has wei been
made to work as a fixed policy aud
has rarely been attempted in an
experimental instance. In the larger
cities street paving has to be done in
this way or not at all. Nobody sup
poses for AIN instant that a PROPOSE
tion to bond the city of Lexington
for street paving 10 a limited district
would carry at an election by the
qualified voters. Nobody would sug-
sest it If they thought 1t would carry.
When any one suggests such a plan,
which is not practiced by any city or
town in the land as a settled policy
and has very rarely been attempted in
a single instance, that man may be
put down as opposed to street paving
under any circumstances.
No tax yet devised by the wit Of
man is precisely equitable, but the
abutting property tax is more equita-
BILE than most OF them To be sure
paved downtown streets would in
crease the value of property on
Estill Heights, and property in EItill
Heights will pay correspondingly
more tax into the general revenue.
Paved streets, by improving the
county seat, would increase the deSir-
ableness of farms ten miles beyond
MAYHEM but not enough to make
these people want to join US in issuing
bonds to accomplish the improvement.
The people who own the property
along the line of the contemplated
improvement are the ines most in
terested in the business growth and
forward movement Of Lexington. Nc
mao is asked to build more than a
strip the width of his own property
to the middle Of the street and be
should be ashamed to ask anybody tt
help him. No man can build a resi-.
dencc, erect a mill, start a factory o.
10 any way contribute to the wealth
Of a town without adding to tn,
value Of the property Of every man il
it. But he does not deserve an.
special credit for 1t and there is n,
occasion for passing the hat in hi
|, behalf. There is no more injustice
about requiring a property owner t
maintain whatever kind Of stree
seems to be necessary adjacent to hi
property than to require him to main
, tain sidewalk Of whatever kind TIL
: circumstances of the case require
The only way to show that the street
| should not be paved by assassin
r adjacent property is by showing tn
I the streets should not be paved al al
The Minnesota pardon boa d fee.
thai H. has a grievance against, FOL