The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1921-04-01
THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE STREET QUESTION

Lord Mayor of Union City called a
mass meeting at the City Hall to
devise ways and means to repair the
streets of the city, and when this
met they found the Lord Mayor had
already devised ways and means to
suit himself. He stood up before this
vast multitude and promulgated his
plan. He said, we will commence at
the old fair ground and go north,
guess as far as the courthouse. Then
he skips over to First street-at the
opera house. l suppose he thought
that was as far as anybody would
care to go on First street. Then he
turned and faced north. We will
work this. street to the tile factory.
Then he backed back to Whipple's
woods lots. Then he turned his face
east and meandered up Main street
to the Methodist Church Then he
turned his face north and south and
said, we will work Ury street from
Dan to Beersheba! Then he picked
up pick and shovel, put ,on his jump
er, wiped his moistened brow with
his red bandanna and said, the job
is done, and this vast assembly rose
up as one man and called him blessed.
But the records fail to show how
many of the vast concourse of people
live on the streets that are included
for repairs. BY the way, the streets
to be repaired touch only on the prop
erty Of two of the big-seven, but ac-
cidents will happen sometimes.
| Now we will get to sthe milk in,
the cocoanut. / will say in the out
set there never was more unjust,
Ubiquitous law than one to tax every
body the same regardless of what his
property is worth. I don't only
think so, but / know that everybody
ought to be assessed according to
what his or her property isworth for
all PUBIC Improvements.
Nobody can defend this plan on
its merits, for 1t has none that !
know of, and the big-seven know that
half the peopole on these streets are
not able to pay the bill. There are
several people on First street who
can just barely make living. Now,
to put this unjust tax on them will
force them to mortgage their proper
ty. to pay it. l know, for one, that
am not able to pay for it. l worked
hard and got a little to keep me in
my old days. Now for this big-seven
to come along and rob me of the lit
tie saving laid up for old age is an
outrage. I know that for a little
runt like me to kick against this big
seven will do no good, but that don't
keep me from kicking.
The people of Union City have paid
the sidewalk debt and are still pay
ing sidewalk tax and interest on the
sidewalk bonds. How is this for bus
mess? thought, after we had paid
for the sidewalks, and our taxes were
raised about three times as high as
they were before, that we would get
little rest, but see there is no rest
for the weary. The people of Union
City would like to know where all
this sidewalk and tax money has
gone. 1t looks like the more we pay
the less we have.
Why not fix up all the streets?
Why pick, out portions of a few of
the streets for improvements. The
people on the other streets are just
as able to pay for theirs as we are,
and If not, why not? The County
Court has just as much authority to
go out in the country and pick out a
few roads and tell the citizens on
these roads to go ahead and improve
them at their own expense-for the
benefit of the whole community.
Yours for better streets in the
right way and at the right price.
w. J. BRIGGS.
~ no.. lor A. 1II facI.;onaJ