The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-06-26
THE ENTERING WEDGE.

The city council last Monday evt
ming decided to pave that part
Sixth street lying between Ceda
street and the Northern Pacific bridg
approximately block and half @
400 feet This action by the counc
in deciding to pave such an insignia
cant section Of the city, and the will
ingness Of a paving company to tax
the contract at price which 1T is ad
mitted will result in loss to the con
tractor clearly indicates the determn,
alton Of the paving advocates to fore,
this useless burden upon the tax,
payers Although a majority of the
property owners in the block and a
half to be paved have gone on record
as favoring it, some of the heaviest
taxpayers in the district are unalter-
ably opposed to 1t, and there Is no
doubt that large majority Of the
property owners OF the city are or
Z posed to It. And the sentiment OF
those outside the little section now
proposed to be paved should have
some weight with the council, for
sooner or later they too win be direct
~ involved
The council seems to attach much
Importance to the statement of the
mayor Of Colfax as to the cost of
keeping the paved streets in that city
clean. AS matter of fact, the cost
Of keeping the paved streets clean
does not enter into the question here, !
although 1t would be interesting to
make a comparison of the rate Of
wages paid for street work in WAL
lace and the Palouse city. The ground
OF opposition to paving Is that 1t Is
not needed for the reason that WAL
lace now has excellent streets, In some
respects better than paving. The
people of Wallace have never hesitat-
ID at the cost Of any public improve
nent when convinced that it was me-
,essary. They put In splendid sew
age system years ago when such IN
enterprise was unheard of In town
u this size. The public health was
involved and the expense was of sec
'ndary Importance They are now
heerfully maintaining paid fire
department. at an expense that could !,
lot be considered by the average Pa t
ouse town, but the people of wallace t
elieye II is a good investment The
eople of Wallace have paid thous-
nds Of dollars. both through the city
oyernment and by voluntary SUBJ
cription for the Improvement of the
treets, building roads. trails and >
ridges for the improvement and
advancement of the city,
nd IL this city had had the mud to :
ontend with that is common to the
owns Of the Palouse. the streets
-ould have been paved years ago. The
act therefore, can not be too strongly
that the opposition to
aving is not ON account Of its cost =
/ the annual expense of maintenance,
ut that it is solely on the ground that
aving the streets of Wallace is
seless expense. that we have the
luivalent Of paved streets now, and :
lat paving simply adds heavy bur-
en- to the property owners without
ny compensating benefit. v
The proposed paving Of block and
half on Sixth street is merely an
1tering wedge, and the property e,
wners Of the city should make such a,
protest against it that the council 81
i'll not dare finally ratify the action al
ready taken. m
To pave the streets Of Wallace. d,
hich for Is or 1S years have. been "
ailt UP Of the best n,acadam material IL
existence anywhere, and available m
y the taking, is paying good money IA
a. 4 biz price for streets actually in al
'rior 70 what We now have. Ii,