Evening journal., 1919-04-16

fully understood by the Park Commits
sion that removal Of the club house
aud float would occur at any time they
desired, on reasonable notice.
Can the public view Council IN any
other than a ridiculous light after all
their talk, when il is a simple fact that
all the river front this proposed float
would require is about thirty feet, and
! the clubhouse small corner, about
fifty feet square, on the extreme outer
edge Of the new park, at the foot OF
Church street, which spot has been any
thing but a beauty spot for many Years &?
And, finally, when gentlemen Of the
character and ability Of the honorable
Park Commission are I'm favor Of this
proposition. after listening to us and
knowing for what we ask. and know
ing who are our members, then Ger
iainly we have no apology to offer our
fellow citizens. for we confidently eX-
pect their approval as we confidently
expect 20 bring about at least one
proper use Of our too long neglected
water front with which nature has so
laVishly endowed us and which our al-
thorities have done so little in hun
dred years TO develop at all. much less
to bring mp 10 its highest efficiency for
an maralime purposes, including the
pleasure boats which are as necessary
for our recreation and our health as
any other athletic pursuit.
"Our club is not body OF Youthful
| innOcenls. but a body Of business men,
professional men and workers. It needs
no sympathy from Council and asks
none. What we want and could reason
ably expect IS plain, simple Justice
/ guided by a moderate amount or plain,
simple, common sense.
Grant any rational body these ele-
ments and no conclusion could be
reached save in approval OF a sensible
proposition, and which was so viewed
/ by the sensible park commission.
with the least desire 20 enter into
any controversy, yet with a complete
belief in our rights as citizens, and as
counter defense against the charge
Of Implication In a scheme TO steal the
water front OF our city; we, as an Or
ganlzation. respectfully but firmly In
I auire OF City Council how they could
consistently have granted the right to
private and pro1t-making corpora
/ ton albeit a god one lThe Malleable
/ Iron Col TO close up ButtonwOod
/ street. a then paved and curbed thor
oughfare, for their purposes and profit
alone. Again we cite the closing OF
Poplar and Lombard streets for the
! Pusey and Jones Co, and we assert
without fear OF successful /cOntradic-
/ ton that the Park Commission Is in
nowise responsible for these losses TO
our water front 10 private interests.
| We then ask, who is2
I'VE seek to close no thoroughfare,
TO take away no persons right TO the
use OF a public property, but rather
to increase It's attrcatlveness to all and
only to use a public park for its con-
slstently manifest purpase, /. e. the
pleasure OF the people, and more spe-
cfnally a river front park for the
Measure uses Of those most directly in
ieresled in the riyer-the boating and
yachting interests Of the city.
AS Councilman Robertson has
sought 10 bring in eXtraneous and ir-
relevant matters. such as legislative
/ wafer snakes etc, with a desire TO
befog the issues in this water front
case, and with a clearly evident inten-
ton TO pose as the wide-awake ana
super-honest champion Of all the peo-
pie. as well az assuming the attitude
that he and the Council, which he
seems TO lead, have monopoly Of all
the civic virtues, we simply rise TO
inquire why Council does not pay the
honest debts incurred during the recent
influenza epidemic in which way they
would perhaps with more fidelity be
attending 10 the public business in
trusted 10 them, and would better
merit tho confidence reposed IN Council
By the merchants who arc still waiting
for their money"