The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-04-12
TAXPAYERS, ATTENTION
MORE ABOUT PANING-READ 1T
OVER TWICE, THEN THINK
1T OVER.

A few of our merchants have said
that you have nc interest in this pro
posed paving on Egan avenue, that
only about half a dozen town boosters
shall have the right to say what they
will do with their own money, wheth-
er or not they will put it into paving.
They not only want this right, but
they also want the right to say, you
taxpayer, step aside and let us few
property owners force the majority
Of property owners on Egan venue
to dig down deep into their pockets
for a large sum of money to pave
Egan avenue, the best street in the
city as far as mud is concerned.
Now we claim that the majority of
property n on Egan avenue
should also have the same right to
say what they will do with their W
money as well. Right here the word
majority needs a little explanation.
The law says that any number, two,
three or even one. can petition the
commissioners of a city 10 submit to
pave a certain street, or any part
thereof. upon which they own prop
erty, and the commissioners must
submit said paving to be performed
in order to improve said street. This
same law says that ii shall require
65 per cent of the abutting property
owners by petition to prevent said
paving. This liz an unjust law, and
can only be overruled under the ref
erendum act which gives to the peo-
pie the right, Majority Rules" Now
we shall soon come TO show how the
taxpayer becomes directly interested
in this paving. The paving PROPOSE
ton was first talked of by a few of
our merchants to pave Egan avenu
from the railroad track to the city
limits on the north, and that the city
should pay for the intersections.
When the commissioners met to on
slider said proposal to pave. they said
that the city will not pave. so they
planned another scheme to divide the
paving proposal into two divisions,
first division to pave from the rail
road track to north line of Seventh
street, the second division from
Seventh street 10 the north line of
Eleventh street. So two petitions
were gotten out. A few that signed
said petitions. signed and said they
were willing TO pave If the city pays
for the intersections. The second di-
vision was turned down by a majority
petition of 20 per cent of the prop
erty wners. Then they Immediately
started a new petition and then got
three or four men to withdraw their
names from the remonstrance petit
ton, for the reason that there were a
few who signed for division l hat
would have withdrawn their names
from the petition and signed a petit
ton not to pave at all, unless they
could pave clear up to north line of
Eleventh street. This was the rea-
son why said three or four men with
drew their names. This cut the 10
per cent petition below the 65 per
cent as required by this law. which
any one must say Is an unjust law.
We claim we are not in shape to
pave this year, for the following rea-
sons: First, that the water main is
too small for fire protection and was
even spoken OF al the time ii was put
in. 1t is t~wenty-three or twenty
four years ago since II was put in and
is getting more or less rusted out in
places and liable to cause leakage,
which cannot be located on top after
paving is put in, and "a only be To-
Gated here on the business part of the
street after the water finds its way
into the Easements of some of u
merchants, causing damage to stocks
of goods that they might have in
their easements. The city would pay
the damage. Now the city begins to
become directly interested In the paw
ing. The city will have 200 feet on
the east side and about $50 feet on
the west side on Egan avenue on
Ninth street by the bridge TO pay for
as the property owners on both sides
will say to the city. Take the prop
erty and pave" The bridge must
also be taken down and reconstructed
and made wider. The electric lamp
posts now on the sidewalks must be
cut out and moved out, for the "a
son that they want TO make the side
walks three feet wider on each side.
All the above cost the city must pay
for. which will amount to quite a
large sum of money. Who shall pay
for the widening of the sidewalks?
We are taxed about all we can bear
now, and another $4,000 bond to be
voted on to build a wing to our new
high school building TO replace the
one that burned down. This Is of
much greater importance and value
to our city than to pave this year, and
some of the taxpayers may feel that
if paving must go in this year that
they cannot stand the bond and paw
ing both, also the septic tank must
be fixed in some way to take care OF
the sewer. This will also be quite an
exnenSe. There are eleven widows