South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-13
PARK P0ARD VIEW OF
POTTAWAT0MlE QUESTION

CONTINUED FROM PAGE SlA)
one of the latter rather bluntly in
formed the board of park commission
ers that they were fools to work for
the city without salary. that anybody
| was a fool to work for nothing. and
that he (the legislator) wouldn't do
| II. If this is a proper conception OF
| duty to a city then this legislator IS
quite welcome to it. The members of
| the park board have not only given of
/ their time and service freely they have
| gone further, frequently paying their
own expenses for trips to the leSisla-
ture and elsewhere. They have done
it because their work is a labor of
love, and If doing these things consti-
tutes foOlishness the park board is
quite ready to be proclaimed just such
fools. That is hardly the conception,
however, that a state legislator would
be presumed to have. Moreover the
members of the county council, (sOme
| of the best men in the county,, give
their service for nothing. The officers
and directors of the Chamber of
Commerce, and one or two hundred
members who give their time for a
campaign for new members and for
the general upbuilding of the city, the
members of the Federation for Social
Service, and many others, will neces-
sarily come under this same classical
ton. How do you like it?
| Inc interest OF MT. summers ana
Mr.. Leeper in the farmers is COM
mendable, but one is tempted to
quote Shakespeare He doth protest
too much" The park board and num-
bers of other citizens are quite anX-
ious for the welfare of the farming
community as those above named. The
| truth is, in this business world, one
hand must wash the other that is, the
farmer needs the city quite as much
as the city needs the farmer, and each
is, or should be, very deeply interest
ed in the eventual benefits to the
other. The park board would be glad
TO see the fair association succeed, and
Will be glad to help with all its power.
The population of st. Joseph coun-
ty is about $4,000. of this number
| about $4,000 reside in South Bend,
approximately $1,000 in Mishawaka,
and a gOodly number in smaller cities
like New Carlisle, North Liberty, etc.
Subtracting these from $4,000 leaves
! a net farming population in the county
| of about 1000, the great majority of
whom were not on these farms when
the fairs were conducted a decade and
q half ago. The taxes paid for the
county were paid in just the proper
! ton cited above, and in just such pro-
portion are many interested rightfully
in the transfer of Pottawatomie park.
| Mr.. Summers said that he was elected
| as a representative of the county not
| but he should not forget that those
pOpulating the cities are just as much
| residents of the county as are those
| living on the farms.
| The public should understand that
! the coterie of fair proponents have
done just as they did two years ago.
carry on a "pussy-foOt'' campaign. 1t
! leaked out, however. as such things
will leak. The public of South Bend
and Of Mishawaka (the latter getting
| the benefit without having to pay for
| IT'D are vitality interested in the reten-
! ton of these grounds for parking pur
poses. They should realize that they
/ are in greater danger of losing them
! than heretofore, for only one reason
the fact that the majority of the
local legislators have been corralled
J in advance by those favoring the fair
proposition. Every time the park
board and the mayor have met their
| demands the latter Immediately shot
upwards until it was readily seen that
they weren't willing to be satisfied
with any compromise or on any
! grounds that they thought the city
could carry out. If the fair propon-
| ents should actually win in this legis-
| lature there will still remain long
| legal questions TO settle, wherein the
park board and the city do not believe
! they will lose.
! 1t has been contended that Potta-
watomie park grounds would be worth
about 65,000-this might be true to
| some realty company but it would not
be true if it remained in the cOunty's
| hands.
The attack on j. NJ. Studebaker in
| CT lent 70 this whole matter is eXecra-
bic and wholly uncalled for Mr..
Studebaker has known absolutely
nothing of the park boards plans in
| regard to POttawatOmie park, and has
never been in conference with the
board or any member thereof on this
particular subject The insult to him
| is purely gratuitous. The fact that he
! is so unfortunate as To own a large
| tract adjoining is of course unpardOn-
| able. Mr.. Studebaker should have
4 had less foresight and bought his farm
elsewhere. But numbers of poorer
/ people, wage-earning people, have
also bought property there which
in most cases is their all. Mr.. Leeper
owns much property, part of which
| he wanted TO sell TO the park board.
Let him-Or Mr.. Summers for that
matter-donate a site for fair
/ ground, as either is we'll able.
There is neither reason nor sense !
in creating feeling and nasty jealousies
1 between the city and county. but the
| citizens of South Bend and MiShawaka |
! should be awake to the situation be-
( cause Of the long manipulation OF
! affairs by the fair coterie and the
! local legislators are unfriendly TO the
! citys interests in this matter, and
/ that the park board has to fight with
out SO much as one home legislator 10
push its interests or. up TO this time,
TO even present a bill for il. AS be-
fore stated if those pushing the fair
/ grounds defeat the city they are well !
come 10 any advantage that will ac-
crue from il. they will probably go
along swimmingly for a year or two; |
i but a few years hence when restro- |
spect comes into play. when short J
| sightednesS accounts for the injuries
TO the city. then the park board would |
much rather be in its own shoes-it
! viii have done its duty with the |
largest possible foresight. II their
plans are shattered the blame be on
those who deliberately planned 10 beat !
! them. When the offer was made 10
| the city of the tract known as Island |
park" certain of the city council At
| that Sme lacked the vision 10 see the J
1 n 4 ~