The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-03-12

ing. There was comparatively little ef
fort Of any kind to get it, and but fol
the fact that Dyersburg was securing
the earth in an effort to obtain SINH
: lar building there might have been nc
provisions for it at ALL Union City was
entitled to first consideration for the
reason that our postal revenues exceeded
those of any other town in the Con-
gressional District. Dyersburg had a
census taken and sent up petition after
petition from the commercial club,
while we lay on our oars. Practically
we asked for nothing and our Repre-
sentative had no encouragement to work
for us, but the very fact that Dyersburg
did make an organized and determined
effort moved our Congressman, in a
sense of fairness and justice, to intro
duce a bill for both buildings. Con-
gress allowed the Union City building
first, naturally, under existing condi-
tions That is how we secured author
lty for site and building, but what
about the location.
Men became at once infatuated with
the idea that the site of the building
would have something to do with the
price of adjacent property and amount
of business done in that locality, and
jealous rivalry ensued, so much so that
it assumed partisan form and deprived
us of building for at least two or three
years They forgot that the least active
business sections of nearly all cities are
those adjacent to the postoffice. 1t is
so in Nashville and in Jackson. The |
postoffice is not the center of business
activity in any city. Therefore it was
idle to insist that because the choice of
one man is not available within the time
limit no other site should be considered,
especially when another site is nearer
the center of population and equally as
near the center of business. The fact
is, most everybody was contented and
satisfied with the Hibbitts lot should it
have been available. But because this
site was not selected all others submitted
must be ignored is unreasonable and
unjust. Probably of all the sites the
most convenient offered was the one on
Church street occupied by the Wells
barber shop, Ransom, undertakers, and
Preston Printing Co. This lot was Of
fered very reasonable. There was no
effort at graft in this proposition. There
has been nothing of the kind that we
know of connected with any of the lots.
But by actual computation and measure
ment there is hardly any doubt that the
Head-Beckham lots just mentioned will
be found nearer the center of both bust
ness and population than any of the lots
offered, and yet this proposal was reject
Jd' IL 10 SSIIdlu IllctO q
here would add more to the looks of .
he city than any other place And yet
We must be deprived of the benefits of /
his building for a term of years, and, |
more important still, the accruing ben
efits of construction while the work is $
going on, at time when it is most need !
ID, to suit the wishes and interests of t
certain citizens, by no means in the {
majority.
If Union City is to continue this sell
ish, partisan spirit what are we to have
,ver If there is to be no union of ]
those towns which have out
crown us and others which are rapidly S
oming up will eventually dwarf us.
Gentlemen, why don't you get to-
,ether like men and not pigmies, and ,
ook after the community interests as
veil as personal affairs. For goodness .
axe, don't sin away the day of grace.