The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-08-03
The Gift without the Giver is Bare.

| The most interesting feature con-
neeted with the requirement of the
Washington Island property by the
city is the fact that there comes with
It to the people of the city the most
cordial wishes of the people who were
instrumental in the city getting it.
Not what we give but what we share,
| the gift without the giver is bare, -
wrote Lowell and this is particularly
! emphasized in the offer of the island
| property to the city that it may be-
come great playground for Kenoshans
of today and for the children s child
rem. The heirs of the late z. G. Sim
mons have shown willingness to share
| what they have with the other people
| of the city and in this sharing comes
the assurance that the gift is accom-
panied with the best wishes of the
| givers. There is nothing begrudging
| IN the manner In which this wonder
land along the lake shore has been
turned over to the city. 1t may be a
little personal, but members of the
Simmons family have always shown a
great interest in the advancement of
the city. They have built up great
industries and in building them up
they have been among the first to
recognize the fact that there was a
duty to the men and women who
| helped to build. No real monument
could be raised to the memory of the
| late Zalmon g. Simmons unless it con-
tanned some feature of human helpful
ness. In all of his long life in Kenosha
that idea of comradeship with the PEG
pie and interests in the people was
strongly developed. In everything
that he did he showed as great an in
terest in the public welfare as he
did in his own advancement or the
advancement of the things in which
he was interested.
While there may have been condi-
lions under which this splendid prop
erty and the princely sum for its i'm
\ provement were offered to the city, it
must necessarily be considered as
good fellowship offering to the whole
people of the city. If the officials of
| Simmons Company, were to walk into
| any city in the country today and say
to the officials of that city, we want
to build a plant that will employ a
thousand men and we want some con-
cessions in order to locate in your city,
the officials of that favored city would
be like men rushing to fire to grant
any reasonable concessions that the
company might ask for And so would
the aldermen Of Kenosha Had the
Simmons Company come before the
council and without any suggestion of
reward to the city, asked for the va
cation of useless streets that the plant
might be made bigger and by being
made Bigger employ more men in Ke-
nosha, large majority of the members
of the council would have said, with
out debate, sit is the duty Of good
official to advance his city and the
best way to advance his city is to make
it possible for it's great industries to be-
come greater" But the Simmons
Company came before the council with
the idea of paying for everything it
asked for and paying royalty. The
value of the stub end of streets which
the company asked for is due solely to
the fact that the company has built
up a great plant about them. They are
used exclusively for the business of
Simmons Company and they are going
to be used for this purpose for a lot of
years to come, if not for all time.
The value Of these streets to the gen
eral public is small. To Simmons Com
pany it is great. Other cities and pos
sibly Kenosha, have given away streets
without returns to the general public.
The heirs of the late z. G.. Simmons,
who are most interested in the big fac
tory, have no such proposition to offer.
They want to give two dollars to the
people of the whole city for every dol
lars worth they take. They want to
take land valuable only to them and
in return for it give double value and
value which is for the amusement of
CEOIy u1du, WOudu duu Cu1lu LII GAC ClGy'
The offer is such that no fair minded
man could for minute question the
wisdom of the Common Council in ac-
cepting it. Failure to have accepted
such an offer would have been a dis
play Of lack Of interest in the develop
ment of the city and in the welfare of
the thirty, forty or even hundred
thousand people which will make up it's
population in future year. Kenosha IS
greatest need is real playground, not
only for her men and women, but for
her children and this proposition has
answered the demand in a manner sug
gestive Of the days of the "fairy
prince" The gift of the large sum of
money has taken from the shoulders Of
the people the vast expense of prop
erly improving the property to make it
Of greatest use.
The action of Simmons Company is
healthy example for other men and
other women in Kenosha to follow.
UT l~roxy oe ~,ao4o~ ,>1oocura 4bo9o