The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-04
SPUR PROPOSED
TO ENTER GLEN
SAYS JOHNSON
Gives Out Information Con-
cerning Prospects of Addi-
tional Car Tracks Penetrat-
ing Glen Miller Park.
WOULD CREATE SENTl-
MENT FOR AND AGAINST.
Member of Board of Works
Reviews Conditions and
Sets Forth Argument for
Placing Freight Line.

Quite interesting information for To-
cal citizens was gained by reading
the communication of B. B. Johnson.
printed this morning in the Indiana
polls Star. AS a member of the board
of public works Mr.. Johnson took oc-
casion to reply to the editorial COM
ment of the Star in regard to the con-
struction of an interurban freight line
through Glen Miller park. wherein it
was said the park would be damaged
by such line. The line of argument
adopted by Mr.. Johnson has been
known locally, but his announcement
of the proba bility of spur line en-
tering further into the park comes as
surprise. Such proposition would
result in a division of sentiment, as
there are many persons who approve
of the idea and others, who oppose it.
In his communication. Mr.. Johnson
says in part:
To say, run a freight line through a
park sounds badly-it makes a noise
like desecration.' But that isn't the
whole story. The freight line is also
a passenger line. 1t runs through the
unimproved portion, or the entrance
to the park, crossing the driveway at
the southwest entrance. and running
north along an abandoned roadway
that was an eyesore of itself.
A spur will doubtless be run from
this track down to the lake near the
heart of the park, to accommodate
the masses. for whom public parks are
primarily intended. The long walk
from the car line has in the past pre-
vented many, especially women and
children, from receiving the benefits
of the park. Those having automo-
biles and carriages can haul their bas-
kets and other traps where they de-
sire to picnic; but the masses of our
people are compelled to carry theirs
quite a long distance to reach avail
able eating places convenient to wat
er, ETC. The so-called freight line"
is the first step toward remedying this
condition-toward bringing the people
to their own.
By the express terms of an existing
franchise freight cars are barred from
North Tenth street and North A street
because they we're good residence
streets-and also from all streets hav-
ing tracks of the city cars laid there
on. This bars them from Main and
North Twentieth streets, where those
opposed to the park route desire them
to go.
,;r1k o.,
thorities, when this interurban fran
chise was granted, to bar this traffic
from good residence streets, as such,
is it not equally fair and just to bar
it from East Main street, which is
conceded to be a better residence
street? And when we recall the fact
that Main street was also exempt
from this traffic under the old fran.
chise, along with the re sidence streets
mentioned, is it any wonder that resi-.
dents thereon, who have at great ex.
pense erected beautiful homes there,
should stand upon their present ex.
emption rights and strenuously op.
pose the Dissertation and virtual
destruction of these homes in the flu.
ture when the package freight bust
ness has developed?
An interurban freight line is a dam.
age to any residence street. The dis.
comfort is equal on all, but the finan.
cial damage depends on the value OF
the residence property affected. In
this latter sense Main street would
suffer many times as much damage as
any other street that could be used
to connect East Main street with
| North E, where the freight line" Is
to run. And yet some of the residents
Of North Tenth street, who are resting
with confidence in the protection OF
their franchise exemption. are the
most urgent that the residents OF
Main and Twentieth streets. who have
the same protection. shall be "patrio
tic" and "broadminded" enough to
give up that protection and accept
that despoilation without a protest OF
a contest.
You deprecate the vandalism of pub
lie officers who SHOW themselves
ready to sacrifice civic beauty and
artistic effects" etc. There are those
who make these things religion, and
those who think they do-these are
''faddists" The real art worshippers
are real nature worshipers. But they
are also lovers of humanity. They
would never sacrifice a real human
need for an empty show. They rec
ognize utility as the soul of art and
beauty-the eleme mt that gives them
highest value. They would rather
tighten the burdens of the tired moth
ers who are brought into the heart OF
the park by the car line than to pre-
serve artistic effects" (if any were
in jeopardy. by keeping out the YER,
persons that parks are designed for