The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-09-19
An Old Story in a New Dress.

AL O4u ObOAJ III q LNUW AA~Sp'
Making the world safe for democracy
is pretty big job and it has kept half
world busy for the past four years
but at that it does not seem to be any
harder than wrestling the idea of
"eminent domain" from the minds
Of some of the people of Kenosha who
believe that the streets of the city
are for private enterprise rather than
public use.
Of course custom, prolonged over ia
period beyond the memory Of the old
est citizen may have given these peo-
pie the right to hog the streets and
side walks and appropriate them to
their own uses. 1t would appear that
this is the fact. Appeals of all sorts
have been made to city officials to
clear the streets-to put an end to
their being used as storage place for
raw materials, as bone yard for dis
carded vehicles and as storage place
for farmers wagons and buggies but
the only answer that comes is va
cant stare and with it the Cant be
Done" that has come to be stock
answer
With the enforcement of economies
In lighting the street, the use of the
streets in this way has become a men
ace, People grope along falling over
distinctions and their objections are
met with no results so far as getting
rid of the nuisance are concerned If
they protest to the men who are, guilty
Of appropriating the streets they are
accused Of Grabbing the game" IF
they so to the police they are court
eously received and the police officer
goes down and tells the. man who has
used the street for private purposes
to get the stuff off of it, The fellow
waits till the police officer turns his
back and then elevates his thumb
to his nose and wiggles it in true and
approved fashion.
There is no lack of ordinance to
keep the streets clean. There is sim
ply lack of enforcement If the ordi-
nary man wants to put little con-
crete on the floor of his cellar and de-
cides to put load Of gravel on the
front curb he must go to the city hall
and give history Of his life, bond
himself to observe all the laws of the
state and the ordinances Of the city
promise to keep light on every pile
of stone or gravel every night and do
a lot of other things. He is warned
that the storing of such materials on
the street is great menace to public
safety and that the city may be sued
for damages if he fails to live up to
the exact letter of his agreement. 1t
Is pertinent to ask whether. or not
these street and side walk hogs have
the regular legal permit to use this
ground. If they have they are mighty
foTgetful of the provisions of their
agreement. Whoever saw lantern
warning people of the danger of these
places.
Much has been said of the city
beautiful in Kenosha but it would ap-
pear pertinent to ask that the council
before it digs into the "city beauti-
full" plan dig into some plan which
would make the city safe" The
value of a street admittedly depends
on how safe it may be made for the
use Of the people. The wider it is the
better and the more use the people
may get out of it but when private
enterprises use the streets until they
are narrowed to country lanes it would
appear that it was time to get busy
with the "city safe" plan.
There must be some power to force
the evacuation of the streets regard
less of the length of time that these
people have defended their personal
privilege to use them for private pur-
poses, If the city has no such power
ordinances could be introduced and
these streets vacated to these private
individuals. People should not be ex-
pected to take the chance Of injury
by seeking to see these appropriated
streets and side walks.
It's an old sore on the body of Ke-
nosha. Once or twice it has been
treated with a little ointment to stop
the running but what it needs is some
caustic which will burn it out and
at-the same time burn out the POSSIBLE
ity of it ever running again. The
streets belong to the people and not
to private individuals. IF the city
has ordinances providing for temper
airy use Of the streets the city should
enforce it. Until the city exaets the
same conditions from all it should not
seek to regulate half the people.
The idea that lit Can t be done =
seems to have taken firm hold IN the
minds Of both alderman and police
officers. 1t can't be done has been
the defense Of the personal privilege