The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-02-01
TO IMPROVE
WEST END
CITIZENS OPPOSE IRcoRPoRA-
TIoN, BUT RAISE FUNDS
FOR SIDEWALKS AND
IMPROVEMENTS.

Of Mr. w q. Harlan in West End on
Monday night, December Is, at 1880
o'clock, about IS tax payers responded.
Upon motion OF Mr.. w. G. Whit
thorne. Mr.. W J. Webster was put In
nomination for Chairman and was
unanimously elected. w. D. Hastings
was nominated and elected secretary.
After a short preliminary speech, Mr..
webster took the chair and declared
the meeting open for business. and
called on any one present to present
any plan or plans for the good OF the
locality. whereupon Mr.. Whitthorne
rose. and in a very strong appeal pre-
scented a bill extending the corporate
limits OF Columbia. beginning at the
northwest corner on said line, or
Fifth street, and extending to the
General Green estate, taking In Mr..
whitthorne's property, and then south
to the voss property thence east with
the Hampshire pike to the Nashville
& Decatur railroad. thence south with
said railroad to the old corporation
line. He proposed the extension OF
Fifth street to the railroad. and that
he himself would open and build a
street through his own property. The
proposition which Mr.. Whitthorne pre-
sented exempted the new territory
from all Of the boz ded indebtedness
of the old corporation, and provided
for all moneys collected from said tax
payers in the new territory to be ex-
pended IN that immediate section, less,
of course, the cost of assessing and
collecting. Mr. Whitthorne made a
strong appeal for good streets and
sidewalks, and for the improvement Of
the town in general.
Mr.. James A. Smlser Immediately
took the floor, and said that he hearth
" agreed with Mr.. Whitthorne in the
need of improvements, but thought
that Ii could be done without going in
LO Lie GOl pOAdCAOi, 0A0 sAAN AAN 49,
in favor of appointing committee
for the purpose of soliciting private
subscriptions for the purpose of rails
ing a fund for the purpose of opening
streets, rebuilding streets and build
ing sidewalks, and that he would offer
the same as a motion, which was sec
onded. Mr.. Smiser further said in
the course of his remarks that a
friend of his in discussing the purpose
OF the call of the citizens, that he,
Mr.. Smiser, was the only man who
had built house that was OF any
special credit to that part of the town
in forty years." and why was that.
The reason was that there were no
sidewalks, that people not did enjoy
wading through the mud and slush in
the winter and the dust in the sum
mer. and that If we would get tageth-
er and provide means with when TO
make the necessary improvements
along the public highways that It
would be only matter of very
short time before the best citizens Of
the town and county would be build
ing handsome residences in that part
OF the town, which would increase the
value of the property from fifty to one
hundred per cent.
Before Mr.. Smiser's motion could
be voted on. Mr.. Webster asked that
Mr.. Smiser take the chair until he
could have something to say In re-
gard to the matter; that he represent
cd several Of the taxpayers. and he
felt 1t his duty to espouse their cause
before the meeting. He said that the
proposition to come into the corpor-
atioh of Columbia was out Of the ques-
ton, that no corporation had the right
to say that any section of that cor
poration should not pay taxes, en- any
former debi made hv any corporation,
and that no corporation had the right
to say that any section should collect
its own taxes and spend them as II
saw fit. That the main reason for
the city wanting to extend the limits
OF the corporation was to overcome
the. loss Of taxes by the abolition OF
the saloon which, he said, he thought
was the right thing to do. But that
after the saloons were abolished that
the $4,000 raised annually from that
source alone would have to come from
some source, and that the plan OF TAX
ing In new territory was one OF the
sources of revenue advised. Mr.. Web
ster further said that he knew It was
the sense of the meeting and he would
proclaim It that we are utterly OPP
posed to going into the corporation
and utterly opposed to forming new
corporation, as had been proposed by
some" And that he offered the follow
Ing resolrtions: Resolved,
First. That we are utterly opposed