Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1921-06-18
THE IMPROVEMENT
ON LINDEN AVENUE
Many OF Our Citizens Think 1t Un-
wise To Expend $4,000 AT
AT Present Time
SHOULD CONSULT PEOPLE
in MATTERS OF THIS KIND

ia ihVot WSl ICSuidCCu iiulilClpdh-
ties where thousands of dollars of tax
payers money is to be expended, and
where contracts are to be awarded
for the expenditure of such amounts.
it is generally customary for the au-
thorities to advertise for bids for such
work; first that the taxpayers them
sedlves may know what is going on
in the expenditure of their money,
and secondly that all contractors may
have the privilege of competitive bid
ding on any and all proposed work.
This principle, we are sorry to
say, does not apply to Pocomoke City,
for it is stated, upon good authority,
that the Mayor and City Council have
contracted for and arranged to spend
approximately $4,000 of the taxpay-
ers' money in the building of sewer
on Linden avenue beginning at Sec
ond street or thereabouts, running
down said Linden avenue to Front
street, then down Front street to Ter
rapin Gut Bridge or thereabouts and
thence through the swamp of J. Mil
ton Clogg to the Pocomoke river.
Follow the line of the proposed ex-
penditure, Mr.. Taxpayer, and for fear
that you have not gotten it right in
your mind, read it over again.
That this is an improvement that
will work to the benefit of a certain
section of our town no one will dis
rute, but it is equally true that it is
an improvement that has never been
brought to the attention of our peo-
pie, either in the advertising of bids
Tor the building of it or otherwise.
Some weeks ago the question of the
improvement of Sixth street was agi-
tated and before the Mayor and
Council would act they called pub
lie meeting of the taxpayers to get
the consensus of opinion. Certain
questions were raised and it was de-
cided that the expenditure of large
sums was absolutely prohibitive at
this stage of the game, and especially
in the face of the fact that there were
other sections of the town that had
priority over other sections.
The fact now confronts us that the
authorities are to spend approxi-
mately $4,000 for this improvement
which will mean very little to the
town in general. In other words they
are to expend at least one fourth of
the amount they raise from all sourc-
es in one calender year for the pur-
pose of building sewer from Second
street and Linden avenue to Terrapin
Gut and thence to the river, when
time-honored thoroughfares like Wal
nut ST., extended, Fourth street, Oak
street and other streets that we
might name go by unnoticed as well
as unimproved. This might be right
but to our mind and to the minds of
many others of our residents there
are not squares, plumb bobs and
spirit levels enough in the country to
properly adjust such movement.
We do not know who the promoters
of this improvement are, and this
concerns US very little. If they have
interests of their own it is natural
that they should look to their best in
terests. But the Mayor and Council
are simply the servants of the
people and they should consult the
taxpayers before they think of
spending such an amount of their
money. Think what this means. Here
it is: Just as soon as this piece of
work is done the next move will be to
sewer Linden avenue to Sixth street
to take care of the proposed develop
ments on that thoroughfare and at the
same time give all the negro inhabi-
tants along Linden avenue the bene-
fit of the sewer system, project that
received adverse consideration at the
last taxpayers meeting held in our
city. And the reason for this adverse
consideration was that. the finances of
the town would not permit it.
The proper thing it seems to US
would be for a meeting of the tax
payers to be called. The authorities
to talk the matter over. Show the
people what they propose to do and
how they propose to finance it. If
the proposition is reasonable it will be
approved. If unreasonable it will be
disapproved. This is the right meth
od. Any other will be severely criti-
cized and justly 50,