Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-12-05
THE SOUTH side HILL AGAIN.

The SOU n lStOe HILL S1AfN'
Ii is to be hoped that the suggestion
OF Mayor Weeks that the South Sid
hill muddle be gone at In a business
like manner and something accom-
plished will be followed by the coun
ell The 'diliy.dallying the mayor
complains of has already cost tn,
city, and incidentally the railroad peo'
TO do so until the hill is fixed and
fixed right.
- .Thes suggestion voiced by at least
one member of the council that ex'
permenting cease right now is sound,
The, present condition is largely the
result of an experiment that didn t
pan out, and, worse, it is generally
agreed by engineers that the work
done is not only faulty but that the
material constituting the fill will have
10 be removed when the JOB is prop
erly done.
Has the council up to date had q
legal opinion from the city attorney
or elsewhere as to the liability for tho
work? Is IT, really case for the
Public Utilities Commission? If such
an opinion has been obtained We have
failed to see any report of it. The
"of course decisions of those who arc
always ready to give legal opinion
hut who never studied Blackstone are
not always good law. Let's find out
what without question Is the proper
way to 60 at the problem and then go.
If it is a case for the Public Utilities
Commission, let all the preliminary
steps suggested by the mayor be taken
and then get irSbefore the commission
at the earliest possible minute. If it
Is a question OF legal responsibility.
let's find on: who must pay and to
what extent
When the condition first became
serious the work could have been done
for about half what it will cost to d.
II now, and the makeshift expense
would not have been incurred. Any.
one who watches the condition of the
hill will realize that this makeshift
expense will never stop under present
conditions. To an outsider ii look :
az II the railroad had already paid for
repair work nearly as much as it
would have been assessed for its
share when the original estimate was
made for real job. And the city has
been constantly pouring money into
the same rat hole
The cost of doing the work properly
viii not be less for years TO come.
according to present appearances, nor
will the time come soon when the
city will be flush enough to bear any
great portion Of the expense without
pinching as hard as it will have to if
the work is done soon. The railroad
will be in no more liberal frame OF
mind ten years from now than it Is
now, The company will pay what il
must pay and no more. The roads,
city or interurban, are not run for
nun or to donate to the city Of Ottawa
unless they must. The officials want
to make them pay dividend If the :
can, and paying out money where 1t
can be avoided will not keep the bal.
ance off the red ink side.
We will always believe that the
theory OF former Commissioner Camp.
bell was the correct one. He said at
one time that the city had the money
10 finance the job and he wanted to
get the wok done while the coin OF
the realm was in sight, and then
!. thresh out the matter as to whom tn
! expense was on. If the interurban o!
city line, or both, were liable in whole
or in part they could be forced to die
up as we'll after the work was done
as before. Meanwhile the useless and
/ continuous expense would be stopped
! His plan was rejected and while tn,
rat hole has been poured into reg i
larry during the intervening time It /.
still as far from being filled IN a:
1 ever. That, however, is ancient his
B tory now. The point is what is tn,
best way to get the question OF tn,
! cost settled and how soon can tn,
work be. done.
II IL U cinch that not much ac,ua
construction work can be done thi.
winter, ana everyone who has giver
that South Side hill any attention wei
4 knows that the freezing of the winter
Wand the SnfinH fhaWing L. qninr ~