The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-07


which this property is used it is worth
more than 500 a front foot, which would
amount to $3S4,000. In the terminal sta
ton neighborhood' some of this property
sold for $500 per front foot 1t was not
bought by the railroads. either, but by
an Individual, who would not part with
1t at that figure now. Nor is this all
of the streets, alleys and avenues that
might be closed under this blanket
proposition. In the above estimate,
blocks 465, 466, 467, 619, 651 and 452 are
not included and there may be others
not now discernable which they wish
donated to them, free of charge.
Secondly, (e) "Thirty-second street
must not be hereafter improved for high
way purposes" 1t has been said that
the railroads request no streets closed
that are now open. In just so many
words that may be so, but If the above
street Is not to be hereafter improved
for highway purposes" it eventually
means that it is not to be FUSED" for
highway purposes. That is true to a
great extent of Thirty-second street now.
The city should not only never consent
to closing another street In Birmingham,
but should open those that are now
closed. But I know they will never be
able to accomplish this, except by long
and tedious litigation In the courts. They
are even tOlQ now tndt tfiey CdHliol open
but three out of seven of the streets
mentioned and they mean it. The city is
growing by leaps and bounds, and needs
its closed and given away streets badly,
but here stalks the gaunt figure of the
railroad confederacy. with its open nav
demanding the only few remaining
streets for its Unsuitable appetite.
The very trouble complained of Is that
we have no ingress and egress to and
P-. Al, III u,
traps made by the railroads which now
necessitates some sort of bridge, The an
swer we receive for our piteous wall for
open streets Is a cruel demand that we
close more of them. The city needs via
ducts at Twnty-fifth. Twenty-seventh and
Twenty ninth streets. but let the city tell
the railroads they must put yiaducts at
these places. and their answer to the city
would not be fit to print. The mildest
form of their answer would be to tell the
city that II they wished to place viaduct
over their property the city's former
street), they would be permitted to do 50
If the city were to pay them for the use
of It, some incalculabfe sum of money.
But 1 doubt If the railroads would permit
a viaduct for any sum whatever. The un-
obtsructed use of the street for the rail-
roads would be more desirable than the
| oitys gold.
Secondly (D-"Second. Third and Fourth
avenues and alleys to be closed between
the west line of the Louisville and Nash
Vile Railroad company's right-of-way
and Thirty-second street, IL First avenue
is to be selected by the city. All cross
streets and alleys between the limits of
| said viaduct and Except Twenty eighth
street) must be closed from First avenue
| to Avenue B, and not opened" 1t is not
necessary to close any streets or avenues,
except the ones over which the viaduct
passes, and then only for the time the
viaduct is UP. The railroads are using
this vaduct proposition as leaver to pry
off streets, alleys and avenues from the
city. 1t would be better for the city to
build the viaduct itself even If 1t had to
pay the entire bill rather than tie up In
any manner one of its streets. The city
could build 1t and charge 1t up to the
abutting property owners. The law Is
palpably plain on the subject. 1t has been
three years since the law was enacted by
the legislature, and yet not wheel In the
judiciary mill has been turned to right
the wrong. No one has ever offered an
excuse for this No one doubts the consti-
tutionality of the law. The roads don't;
IL they did they would defy you to put
viaduct there.
There Is nothing to this made-to-order,
maudlin sentiment of the railroads hav-
ing been here first. An ordinary private
citizen never attempts that sort of an ex-
cuse while he slips his hands into your
pocket The late president of the South
ern Railway company said the RAILROADS.
came to Birmingham because of the enor-
nous tonnage. All other private citizens
came here because OF the tonnage, 100
| But they are not entitled to a lot OF val
liable streets and avenues because of 1t.
They came here to get rich like other
people and while thousands of others have
failed and fallen by the wayside. the rail
roads have had the fat of the land, their
| property Is worth billions and their money
bags are bursting and running over at
the top.
R,t people say: Don't make the
mistake of thinking the city council is
crazy enough to give even single
street away. 1t would be to plainly out
rageous" My reply is that the citizens
made this mistake before In the Ter
minal company deal. They assume too
much for the council. I believe the
council wants to do the right thing,
but If the people sit supinely by and
do not volunteer some aid by pointing
out the outrage and turning on the
light the council will not be enlight-
ened as much as their expert ad-
versaries.
For instance, In the now celebrated
Terminal company deal, the city dom
ated to the Southern Railway company
Reimbursement street from Second
avenue to Tenth avenue. north. for the
paltry sum of $4,000. Any one would
be glad to have given that amount. Not
only that but they absolutely donated
free of charge to the Terminal COM
pany Second avenue to Sixth avenue,
Including the intervening alleys, deed
ing property in the two deals worth
approximately 100000 at the prevail
ing price of property in the neighbor-
hood at that time. The chances are
that 1t was worth more. The net re-
suit was that the city not only prac-
tically gave away Twenty-seventh
street but really gave away the other
property mentioned and then had the
pleasure of shutting out the people
and property owners on the east side Of
the Terminal station, except by din
ly lighted, dirty. dangerous, fll-smell-
ing subterraneous passage called
subway, to make 1t sound big. Some
r,arties said they had not given much
thought to the proposition. Let them
dream on Where ignorance or state
of hideousness is bliss tits folly to be
wise. The more you stir 1T the worse
It gets. The city Is now surrounded
by a network of railroads until the
town is one largo mystic maze and the
railroads are the pigs In the clover
There are very few streets and avenues
left and those that are the roads are
hungry for and the concerted powers
have gotten together to parcel them
out to themselves. Let the city sNp
dickertng with the roads and procsed
~ do the work themselves and charge
the cost up to the abutting property
owners as they do ordinary citizens.
r fear the blarney and Establishments
-. dinIomatic puss. In -bootS gen.