The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-05-13
A SUBTLE ATTACK.

opening of Calumet avenue it be
logged over to Sheffield avenue in
order to give somebody a chance to
sell submerged acreage for dockage
purposes received the merited denun-
citation of the officials of the East
Side Improvement association.
Why did the progressive people of
the east side make this tremendous
fight to preserve the integrity of
Calumet avenue2 Why have mass
meetings been held. petitions signed
and profiles of the street improve
ment been made, assessments levied
and confirmed?
Was the inertia of the east siders
overcome for naught? Is a great city
building project. one which has be-
come fixed in the minds of the people
as the great thing to be attained, to
be abandoned because a jog in the
street would reflect value on few
submerged acres of land?
The time has come when the in
tegrity of the thoroughfares of the
city of Hammond will have to be
maintained at any cost The sug-
gestion of jog in Calumet avenue
fought not even receive the momen-
|tary consideration of the people.
The time was when the people did
not care about their streets. Sohl
lstreet was closed while the people
had their eyes shut. State line street
was closed in the same manner. II
cost taxpayers thousands of dollars tc
open State Line street and it viii
cost other thousands of dollars. tc
make a thoroughfare out OF Sob
street.
But it is difficult to put one ovei
these days. The time was when IL
was possible to go to the mayor and
board of works and have crime In
city destruction committed for the
price of good cigar. The present
mayor and board will not stand fol-
the mutilation of the map of Ham
mond. That is the only salvation O
the east side
| Those who would like to see Calu
met avenue destroyed as a straigh
street offer the following clever argu
ments in favor of their plan. The,
say, THE city can never bear tn,
expense of grading the street through
Lake George. What difference doe
it make If there is one little jog in
street that is straight all of the res
of the way?'
The answer to these arguments 1
that the county will bear the expens
lof grading Calumet avenue through
Lake George just as it did Broadwa,
Through the marshes of the Littl
calumet river. To the man who's
conscience will not permit him t
compound errors in city building an,
bring down on his head the reproacl
of future generations; it makes 10
of difference whether or not there /
only little jog in Calumet avenue.
But the most subtle argument q
lall against the extension of Calume
dNCbuC lAlOQ6A III d Sll line
statement that 1t would make tw
bridges necessary over that branch c
the canal which connects Wolf LAX
with Lake George.
1t is deftly pointed out that th
county would never stand for the az
preparation of enough money to bull
two bridges SO close together an
Furthermore that two bridges are
hindrance to free navigation.
2 True. But why pick onto Calume
: avenue in this bridge eliminate
t iargumet? Why not continue Cal,
{. met avenue in an inviolate straigf
S line and put any extra kinks that al
( necessary into Sheffield avenue Ths
street is already full of them AN
e ANOTHER WILL not make any di
4 ference
S But when the city has a chance /
{ build a straight north and sout
: street from Lake Michigan to til
3 town of Munster and has but or
: last chance, why in the name of con
nun ocHoC JOS II OFcI " al ali eau
crooked street?
BY making Sheffield avenue exten
( along Calumet avenue from the poll
n where they now converge to the poiI
e where they would both cross tt
J, canal the problem of the eliminate
!, of an extra bridge will have bee
t solved and the integrity of Calum
# iavenue will be maintained.
d