The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-08
CITIZENS APPROVE
 CITY BEAUTIFUL Unanimously Favor Sup porting Mir. Seymour's
 Plan. NOW THE TIME TO ACT. Dean Rogers Would Make Decent Street Signs
 an Issue.
NOW THE TIME TO ACT.

1NJ HiOut III 1HS JOullldl dllu NoutlOA l in it's Monday issue for the beautifica- l ton of the center of the city has pro- voked universal interest and support. l The new library building and the proposed county building, together with the options secured on the Bristol and Trowbrdge properties, make it the easier of adoption. Mayor Studley has the proposition under consideration and is being urged to call a meeting of representative citizens, which he will surely do
 John K. Beach, who is chairman of the committee of the New Haven coun- a ty bar, charged with considering new county courthouse, says in an interview with q representative of The Journal and Courier: '1An effective appeal to the civic pride Of our community has long been needed, and Mir seymour's open letter admirably fills that want. All who love the City of Films should unite in giving to the city and county officials the support of a well directed | public opinion in favor of the appoint ment of a commission of experts to prepare a comprehensive plan for fu- | ture public Improvements, The group ing of the new public buildings on tie north side of the green, and the open-
 ing of one ar more adequate approach cs to the green from the new railroad | l.ta .1.. necessary clements of any plan for lin- proving the center of the city by the municipality. The library and the courthouse imperatively demand open 1 site,', and nowhere else can they be-. brought together into harmonious re- lation. The opportunity is fairly in our hands. Let us grasp it."
 John T. Manson, president of the Yale National bank, is equally enthusl- astic. Tn letter to MT Seymour he writes: You have earned the thanks of the people of New Haven in bring ing to their attention at this time the need of a plan to be followed in any future development of the city. I hope, having started the movement, that you will have the courage to follow 1t I up until a commission fully competent 1 to deal with the situation has been ap- pointed" Says Edward C. Beecher the veteran real estate dealer "Mr Seymour's plan covers an extended area; just what Is needed for New Ha- ven's future He has done himself great credit in all he has said, and the whole article represents great research and study. only hope I may live long enough to see his views so forcibly set out materialize."
 Prof, George D. Watrous says that in his judgment. "a new era in our civic life began with Mrs, Ives mag nifcent gift for a new public library building and the city's ready acquisi- ton of site worthy of the gift. This broke up the strictly residential char acter of the north side of the lower half of the green and suggested that the time had come for determining the character of that frontage for many years to come It seemed a great mis- take to fix upon plan for the library building without reference to it's future environment. One thought has led to another and Mrs Ives gift would seem to nave given the initial impulse to a movement which, following the com prehensive suggestions of MT, Seymour, should have the enthusiastic support of every citizen. This is not rich mans project Of all men and women, l those of modest means, or without means, have by far the greatest Inter est in spacious parks and beautiful public buildings as they lack the power to gratify their love of the beau
 tiful from their own purses.
 But such plans have an economic advantage which may even outweigh the artistic The original outlay Is not large. and the Plan if accepted need not be carried out at once. It will serve as an intelligent guide for fu- ture action.
 "I think 1t would be highly appro- priate for the city to engage a com mission of nonresident experts, but realize that the condition of the city treasury will not permit this at the present time. It would seem entirely feasible to ask that the necessary amount-say $1O,O0O to S15,0OO-should be guaranteed by individuals; each in such amounts as he deems proper in case the city shall eventually decide inot to incur the expense Steps to- lward engaging commission should be
 taken at once and, as I am informed, will be. do not know of any way in which a person who wants to do great things but cannot, can do more for the public good than to help guarantee, or
 subscribe toward, the expense of pro curing a plan
 MT. Lewis H. English, of the firm of
 c. S. Mersick & Co.,, and president of
 the New Haven Savings bank, is an-
 other enthusiastic supporter of the plan to care now for the future beau
 tifcation of the center of the city. In
 an interview with a representative of
 The Journal and Courier, Mir English ) said: T am heartily in favor of talk } ing steps now to care for the future of
 New Haven from it's artistic side. and 1t would seem as if Mrs. Ives gift of library building and the probability ) of the county building, a new court house, had together made action neces- ) sary It will take, however, something more than encouraging talk to accom- plish the desired end I should like to } see meeting called at the mayors , office. when plans could be considered for the practical enforcement of MT
 Seymour's idea"
 7 In a personal letter to Mir. Seymour