The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-11-19
BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

is straining after.
1t is of course humanity's perversi-
ty. Heading in one direction while
laundering for another
Although optimists say we are evol-
wing, if but slowly, toward a more
equitable distribution of social favors
However that may be, we have not
arrived
And are not within either gunshot
or bombardment distance.
But, certainly, there SHOULD be some
sort of civic procedure through which
one of the units of citizenship should
not have to cufrer for the whole.
The fact is that it is the small tax
payer that bears the burdens of as
sessment.
The recent spectacle of that noble
patriot, Mr.. Andrew Carnegie, and the
fledgling heir of the Aston estates,
ties, is not one of which the nation
need be proud.
Sidestepping them and with the full
official sanction of their environ
In the meantime a resident of this
town, a hard-working man who, in the
course of a lifetime, accumulated en-
ough to buy home, is to be despoiled
by the municipality because of street
improvements instituted by the latter.
Now the fact is that, in this partic-
ular case, the man is the victim of
social system
And when the word Social is used,
it is understood, of course, that it is
not in its ordinary sense-but covers
the workings of the people and the
state and their relation to each other.
He Is not the personal point of at
tack on the part of the city and off,
Gals.
He is simply a poor old man who is
in the path of the civic Juggernaut.
And he'll be moved down under it's
relentless progress.
The facts have been set forth in the
news columns of the daily papers, and
are these:
The city takes strip of land As by
597 feet for which they give the man
$500. The area of this, as the owner
states, is equal to about Az ordinary
the owner less than 5000 a lot.
Now" states the man, eff the open
ing of this street increased the value
of the remaining land, l would not
have any kick coming. But the con-
trary is the case. My land will be dam
aged or lessened in value from the
fact that it will take the greater part
of the value of the remaining land to
pay for the making of the street.
This will necessitate placing a
mortgage on my home. =
Il thoroughly understand that am
to receive $500 for this ground and
that it will take all of this $500 and a
thousand dollars more to make the
street."
The man is IA years old.
He worked many years in a local
manufacturing concern but all the
time he was working he was paying
for this property.
His income now is limited to that
derived from the raising of garden
truck.
The area for raising this will be di-
minished by the making of the street.
In the meantime he will have to pay
the interest on the $1,000 mortgage.
Let him sell his home,' says some
one.
Aside from the sentimental phases
selling the house in which he and
his wife have lived for thirty years
what would this accomplish?
The amount received from it's sale
would not enable him to buy another
place in WHICH to live and provide suf-
fcient income upon which to exist.
On the other hand here is the posi-
ton of the city:
If it should remunerate the man in
accordance with the dictates of JUS
tice and on a strict financial basis
paying him what the land was actual
ly worth in the local real estate mar
ket-it would establish a precedent
the operations of which would work
future municipal bankruptcy.
Or the raising of the local tax as
sessment to a prohibitive figure.
The city must follow the legal pro-
cedure.
Which, in opening a street, is to fol-
low the course indicated by the major
ity of the propertyowners petitioning.
1t is alleged that the majority of the
latter want South Seventh street open
ed.
Therefore there is nothing to do but
to go the usual municipal gait in such
cases.
And the old man will be ground un-
der the wheels of that famed progress.
Everybody knows that this is all
wrong.
But everybody says-"what are you
going to do about it?"
Why, sure enough, what?
Such social malpractice could be
changed at the next election if it was
put to issue.
Our system could be changed.
Not necessarily entirely revolution
ICED.
But political economists, govern
ment experts and financiers might get
together and evolve a plan through
| which the state did not weaken its
support.
For every time this is done the state
is weakened.
AS stated here the other day, it is
just such isolated cases of this kind
not necessarily of this exact charac-
ter but kindred injustices-which is at
the bottom of our wide spread and I'M