The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1919-01-16
Proposition Eagerly Received by
Practically All Interested
Persons.
LARGEST PROPERTY OWNERS
WERE THE FIRST TO SIGN
Will Pave From Riggles Bros. Store
to South Line of City on Kansas;
From Depot to Grant on
Second Street.

You can tell it without fear of sue
cessful contradiction-Liberal will
pave.
, Liberal has talked of paving for
number of years and at one time was
almost ready to go at it and the war
spoiled the good notion, but now that
the war is over and everything prom
ises to go forward as usual, the work
that has delayed is to be resumed and
the unsightly quagmires that have
answered the purpose of streets will
be paved just as soon as arrangements
can be made and the work finished.
w. V. Griffith of the real estate
firm of Griffith & Baughman, and Lee
Larrabee of the Star Lumber Com
pany, were chosen as the "goats" to
bear the paving petitions to the prop
erty owners of Liberal. However
they found no opportunity to use the
methods usually attributed to the
animal which they were supposed to
represent.
They handed the petition around
and were met with the glad hand in
almost every instance. One of the
peculiar features in connection with
the work was the fact that the larg-
est property owners on the affected
streets were the easiest signers they
secured. Work was started in South
Liberal where large blocks of lots are
held by individuals, but the expense
did not seem to worry the folks over
that way at all. Bert Allen has some
thing like twenty-four lots to pave,
but he unhesitating appended his sig
nature to the petition. Paul W. Light
had large block of lots but he didn't
waste any breath on the matter, but
reached for his pen and "put 'er
down." John w. Baughman had
about as many lots as Mr.. Allen, but
he was so pleased because the others
felt the same as he about it that he
forgot he had anything over there
and signed up. Cash Waters got hit,
too, but everyone knew Cash wouldn't
renig, and sure enough he got on the
petition, and added little more to
the help he has already given toward
making Liberal live one. In addi-
tion to these there were several who
owned two or more lots, but it is to
the credit of South Liberal that not
a man refused to sign for the paving.
The work on the south side is COM
pleted with the exception of the Equi-
ty Exchange, which cannot take ac-
ton until Board meeting is held.
However, the individuals visited
seemed to be favorable to the propo-
sition.
On this side of the track work was
slower as the lots were not owned
so nearly by one individual. How
ever, there were several who had
number of lots in the paving district.
C. E. Woods, ]. E. George, Chas.
Summers, Smith Bros, ]. G. Trindle,
and possibly one or two others who
have already signed, had from three
to dozen lots, but this did not deter
them from expressing their desire for
paved streets or keep them off the
petition. Up to Wednesday evening.
when this is written, only one man
who owned property on Kansas ave-
nue. had refused to sign the petition.
While the work is not finished,
enough signers have been secured to
practically guarantee that the matter
of paving is settled.
Messrs. Griffith and Larrabee will
continue with the petition until all
property owners have been visited
and given an opportunity to express
themselves. AS we understand the
proposition the petitions must con-
tain the names of three-fourths of the
resident property owners Of the dis
trict to be paved. The petitions are
then presented to the city council,
which will publish the same. Should
there be no remonstrance the council
may then order the paving.
It is hardly likely that there will be
any organized effort against the prop
4on. Sentiment is so overwhelm-
,ingly in favor of paving that it would
be merely waste of time to oppose
It, and since the heavy property-own-
ers have given the matter their en-
dorsement we are led to believe that
the matter is practically settled as
soon as the petitions are finished.