Evening journal., 1909-09-22
Wednesday, September p. 1909
CIVIC PRIDE IN TOWNS.

" He controversy in Dover over the tele-
n phone and telegraph poles brings up
anew the entire question OF civic pride in muni-
cipalities. OF late we have heard great deal
about such matters and the instilling of
proper sense of civic pride is one of the objects
OF a number of worthy organizations. Womens
clubs have considered the question at their meet
ings and the CITY Beautiful" always commands
attention.
Several towns of the state have lately begun
to make improvements involving the expend-
ture of large sums. They find, as Dover has
discovered, that sooner or later they come in
conflict with public service corporations which
use their streets. The average public service
corporation is not much given TO civic pride.
1t is usually owned or controlled by non-resi-
dents. It's chief purpose is to make money
with as little expenditure possible, and in
this il follows the course pursued by other cor
poratons anf individuals in business public
-~'seqvIte corporation wants as a matter of bust
ness to place its poles most conveniently Tor
itself 1t cares little for the beauty of town or
CITY.
The duty OF the authorities in such matters is
obvious They should guard the sense of civic
pride They should see that nothing shall be
done by public service corporation to dis
figure town or city in which it may operate.
In almost every instance dishgurements by
poles and such things are unnecessary.
When the authorities of town are in conflict
with public service corporation they should
have not only the support of individual citizens
in their efforts to prevent damage. but they
should certainly have the greatest kind of en-
couragement from those civic organizations be
they composed of men or women, which boast
OF their devotion to civic pride. The pubhs
service corporation is always hard fighter. The
peoples representatives should hight Just
as hard for the rights of the community.
The utmost care should be taken i'll making
any Improvement in town to sec that the
sense of civic pride is preserved not only with
regard TO the operations of public service cor
porations but with respect to other matters.
Are shade trees destroyed unnecessarily? Are
those things which are beautiful in a town or
city damaged in making improvements? These
questions should be weighed we'll The de-
structon of a shade tree in any town, when
such destruction can be avoided, is sin against
civic pride Yet we fear that in making inn
provements in some state towns there has been
such destruction
Let the Delaware towns profit by the exper-
ience of those who have been through the millD
in cities. Our ancestors were not overburdened
with civic pride. They laid out streets in any
old fashion In some towns they slapped things
together. The people of this genSration when
ever possible, whenever they have the money TO
do so, are correcting the mistakes of the past
are beautifying their communities, often at
great cost
Some OF our state towns, as we have said,
are spending considerable money for improve
mentS. Let the authorities sec that nothing is
done which those who come hereafter will want
10 undo. These towns are at the beginning of
new progress. Let them proceed carefully
with their Improvements, and above ALL let
them not be "bamboozled" by various interests
that want to serve their own ends regardless of
the effect on the community.
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