Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-06-21
VOTE FOR TIE BOND ISSUES.

While it is safe 10 say no one Will
have the temcrity to make any organ
lied effort to defeat the proposed
bond issues for city improvements,
opposition manifest due largely, Wc
believe, to q misunderstanding or
pure setishness Scattered over
period of ten years, the increase Of
taxes on account of the bonds would
be too Insignificant to the individual
taxpayer TO be worthy of thought,
Some of the very heaviest taxpayers
might notice very insignificant in
crease, but these men are for the
bond issue to man, as they rocog-
nize that the small investment would
pay them big dividends in The III
crease Of property valuation. What
ever makes ottawa better city in
creases the value Of Ottawa property.
Taken from any standpoint, the inn
provements proposed are desirable
and necessary. Goose Greek has been
an eyesore and menace for, 10, these
many years. During dry periods an
insignificant and harmless looking
creek, when the spring thaw is on
or following heavy rain it becomes
a raging torrent, overlooking its banks
and causing great damage to much
OF the north side. Various efforts
have been made to temporize With its
Improvement, but as it now stands
conditions are but little better than
they were years ago. There is but
one way to solve the problem (Which
includes the possibility Of the perma
nent Improvement of North Columbus
street extended) and that is to fix
it and fix it right as now proposed
1t can be diverted and entirely gotten
rid Of This would be worth all it
would cost if the proposition carried
nothing else with it, But it does,
The South Side hill is another i'm
provemen. that hls been up for solu'
ton so many many times that some
thing must be done. AS a matter OF
accident insurance alone the invest
ment would pay. 1t has been sliding
for years and is still at it, That nc
serious accident has taken place there
is more matter Of good luck thar
anything else. Let one interurban Ol
local car 80 over on that curve ant
Ottawa would be compelled to pa.
more money out than II would cos
to make the improvement, and tn
payment would not be allowed to dra
over ten years, either. The necessit
of this improvement has been Dime
into the public so many times tina
serious the matter is. Only S1nla
last nearly serious accident oC
CURED, when the wavy sidewalk let
pedestrian partially through, and thu
Ottawa il not today liable for dan
ages for a broken limb is luck pun
and simple,
The Fox river bridge has been co
domued for years. Every rig or ind
yidual that crosses it is an item
risk to the city of Ottawa. Imagil
what the bin for damages would be
it concluded to go down on the eve
ing of a full house" at the Hi
School or at the Armory, AS the la
now stands and as the Board Of :
peryisors is now constituted Il
county will bear large proporti'
OF the expense of new structul
How long this will be the case
one can tell. If for no other roasc
now IL the time to get busy. Il
there are hundreds OF reasons why t
bridge should be replaced now L
life and limb of every child who
tends the high school is in jeopar
while present conditions exist, co
street in one OF the most dangerC
places in Ottawa In its time a err
table structure. today it is an g
sore, incapable ESQ the engineers h
decided) of improvement. But W
enumerate? Everyone knows n
bridge IS vi ally necessary. Now
the time to get 1t.
From purely selfish standpo
every property owner In ottawa
benefit by these Improvement. Go
Creeks Improvement VIII beneht
idents of the South Side: the hill
proyement viii benefit North Otta
and the bridge both, as whate
tends to make for better and 81
Ottawa increases the value OF CIV
bit Of property in Ottawa. But
the ground OF insurance alone,