The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1916-04-27
WHY We SHOULD
PAVE OUR STREETS
There has Always Been an Agita-
ticn in This City To the Above
Contention
IN OUR UNSETTLED WEATHER
And the City Administration Is
Now Gathering Facts and
Costs Of PAVING

DO you own any properly on
Dakota avenue? If you do. have
you any desire to sell it. Have you
ever tried to sell it. and was the
streets dry or muddy when the
anticipating purchaser was here?
Did you ask too much for it. or
ii the purchaser couldn't agree on
he cost of tn" property did you
ever figure out he reason why?
Have you ever driven a team
down Dakota avenue this spring.
II not try to push wheelbarrow
Loaded through the streets now.
We know the result. You would
give it up as had job OF have
somebody haul you out upon the
sidewalk and then proccfd, no
matter how many people yon
brushed out of The way. or how
inconvcnient it was for you.
DO you own an automobile or a
fine team and carriage. Ii so. why
aren't you out enjoying these
beautiful spring days when they
com" once i'm awhile? Why is it
that everybody stops and remarks
that wagon or buggy is load it.
self in This mud or that automO-
bill" is SUR" burning up som" gas.
What is the answer? II is this: {:
That i'm our busy business life
seeking more fields t" branch out
into. we have overlooked Oh.
might thing; no matter how lib
,rral we have been in tho past, in
regard to other things. The fact
is that we have left for years the
paving of Dakota avenue and af-
ter a heavy rain with the heavy
traffic upon it, it becomes a regu-
lar mud hole, taking four horses
to pull the average load of one
horse shay.
Another mighty good thing for
ms tdTconsider is;this: S1ppose,you
were stranger in our fair city
and dropped off the train here to
engage in business i'm Wahpeton
and that you came here in the last
week or any time this spring. You
couldn't find any building to rent
and you then wanted to- buy. The
owner asked you a fair price and
then you looked at the street in
front of the building. What would
the result be? IT would be that you
didn't just know yet. and the fact
is that you wouldn't buy. 1t would
look as if the country in this i'm
mediate vicinity was i'm bad shape
and that the city wasn't at all
prosperous. 1t would be bad buy
and you would decide that it was
he best thing To do-that is to
leave Wal,pct"n. The fact is that
lhere isn't another City in North
Dakota that is i'm any better fin
ancial condition than WahpetOn
and its citizens. or there isn't any
farming territory anywhere that
is better off than right here.
Why shouldn't We pave Dakota
Avenue? II would Immediately put
us in the class Of other cities our
size i'm the United States and
strangers would say: why up at
Wahprton. North Dakota, that
city city has got its main thor
|ougllfar" paved, and it is one of
he most prosperous and progress
sive cities i'm the United States.
What would the result be. 1t would
soon be the source Of bringing
many financial men +" Wahpeton
that would mean that our city
would soon have added to its long
list Of successful and prosperous
business men many more new
names.
Mayor t'Iigelnlan for The past
month has been gathering data
on paving our streets and he sent
Engineer Baker to Farg" to look
up just what that city was doing
and he found This: Fargo ever
since il has started paving its
streets has been having more or
less trouble until recently. Street
after street have been paved and
torn up a couple Of times on ac-
count of the pavement not h"lng
suited for that kind of soil. Now
they have found that the regular
paving brick with Il guarantee Of
30 years was doing extremely well
and it costs between Sand 3 dol
lars running foot in proportion
for us to pave one sid" OF Dakota
avenue to the street Railroad Co.
right Of way. ar between two and
two hundred and twenty five dol
lars for th" frnnage az, a twenty
five foot lot.
\ week agn Tuesday the city
council was organized for the
year and also at this meeting this
paving proposition. was put before
them. The result was that TIL. cit,