The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-04-24
He Wires In and Wires
Out But Voters are ION
to His Curves"
FOLKS IN THE DARK
They Never Heard of Shutting UE
Johnson Street and Drewry's Con-
tract Did Not Contain the Word
Until That He Now Says
il Contained.

To the Editor. In your PAPER of
Sunday you say, 1t appears from
the records that the Chairman
Of the Committee in submitting his re-
ports relative to the street work. stud
Iously avoided any mention AT any
time of h Johnson Street crossing,
etc" was Chairman of the Street
Committee in 1899. hen the agrce-
mcnt was entered into with the Sod
board Railroad. and / wish to say
your statement, 50 far as i am con
ccrncd, is untrue.
AS Chairman OF the street Commit
tee, we always reported fully 70 the
Board what our plans Were in regard
to the Johnson Street crossing, and
all other improvements. and the Board
authorized the committee to enter
INTO the agreement with the SeabOaId
Air Line authorities, and my rerol-
lection is tina the agreement was read
III open Board before it was signed
by Mayor a. NJ. Powell, ana attested
by Mr.. II. f. Smith, Clerk OF the
city. The agreement was then signed
by Mr.. l.. Il. Pegram and myself as
members OF the Street Committee.
The agreement. however, did not
give the Seaboard Air Line Road the
right to close Johnson Street under
present conditions. and the Seaboard
authorities had no more right to close
johnson street than they have to close
any other street in the city of Raleigh.
They evidently know this, and that is
why they did not insist on closing the
street.
Neither has the city of Raleigh the
right under this agreement 70 close
johnson street crossing. until it will
n,,a11 SI1ah ctraatS nc NAV he npcpS-
sary to afford the public equal faci!-
tiles for crossing the said railroad ii
Peace street as now exists at n
son Street crossing" | quote the TX
act language of the agreement and
ask of you in justice to the old Street
Committee to publish a full cop of
the agreement. L send you a copy
of this agreement.
The Johnson Street crossing had
long been a source Of danger and an
nOyance to the people living in that
part of the city. and the Street Com
mittee wanted to give them the relief
which they desired and deserved. We
wanted to put an end to the delay and
danger which they had to encounter
every time they wished to cross the
railroad at Johnson Street. so the
street Committee decided to open
Peace Street and cause the railroad to
allow the city to open a street on their
rignt-Of-WaN from ans Street to
Peace street. and then cross under the
track at Peace street, and by extend
ing Peace street one block and open
ing up another street from Peace
street back to Johnson street, just in
the rear of the round house. it would
give the people relief, and would elm
mate the dangers of the heath trap
which has existed 50 long at the
Johnson street crossing. If this plan
is carried out, it would be much better
-. - 49, - ~. = a.
city, and would give them an easier,
quicker and less dangerous route than
the crossing at Johnson street. Why
We're not the people cOnsulted?-Edi-
tor.
| resigned from the Board of Alder
men while this work was in progress,
and the work as planned has never
been completed, and that is the cause
OF the complaint. During my adminiS-
ration as Chairman of the Street
more streets were opened
and improved than during any sim
liar period in the entire history of Raj
eigh, and no one Will believe that |.
as Chairman of the Street Committee.
attempted to close uD the johnson
Street crossing without making proVis-
ion to give the people in that part of
the city equal. or better facilities than
is now provided at the Johnson street
crossing.
1t was during my administration as
chairman of the Street Committee that
Wilmington Street from North Street
to Polk Street was b~roadened and I'M
proved. and is now one of the incest
blocks in the city. BIount Street wa
Widened, and the Seaboard road was
required to build Il bridge over its
crossing at Morgan street, so that
Morgan street could be extended. Elm
Street was opened and extended from
Tones Street to o9kwnnd ANap,n 7 on
Street was opened and extended from
BloodWort Street to Linden Avenue
Person street was opened and extended
from Lemon street to Smithfield
Street. Johnson Street was widened
and improved, and 50 was Hargett
Salisbury and New Bern Avenue.
Boylan Avenue was opened and ex-
ended, and streets were extended
and graded through the Saunders
property in the western section of tEC
city. New iron bridges We're built over
South and LenOir Streets by the South
ern Railway. Miles of streets were
graded and improved. These. and
many others improvements We're ac-
complished by the Street Committee
during the time | was Chairman. and
1 attempted To close up any
street, but on the contrary, progress
and extension was the ~watChWOrd of
our administration.
h record speaks for itself, and the
committee never attempted to keeI
any information from the Board, but
always OOk the Board into its full con-
fdence at every meeting and mad
a full written report OF its work. ana
there is not a single act of our admin
isration of which we feel ashamed
The News and Observer may be able
to deceive some of the people ny talk
ing about insurance trusts. etc, but
the good people of Raleigh cannot be
deceived in regard to my record rs
chairman of the Street Committed.
Furthermore, the agreement made
between the city of Raleigh and the
Seabcard Air Line expired Oh &@ptcn!
Der md. 1900, nearly six years 3
il has been II all N"ld eve
since that time. as neist"f party 20
the contract of agreement compl ed