The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-08-29
$50 Days and
Nothing Done
WE CONGRATULATE Tho
CITY COUNCIL

y 4 X
The city council are subjects for
eongratulation. They have taken
the time-worn questions Of tie racks
and disposed of them all by order.
ing bitulithic paving laid on three OF
four blocks where the tie racks are
now situated and in addition to that
move, they have arranged for the
few old tie racks to be removed and
plenty of new ones put in, Of uni
form appearance. There will moi
only be hitching racks, but there will
be plenty of them, and the big power
1lusher will come along in the night
or early morning hours and shoot
a sheet of water across the paving
and wash 1t clean. Then the street
sweeper will follow up and remove
anything which the fusher failed to
wash away.
The action Of many councils re-
garding tie racks is interesting be-
cause it shows what inconsistent
things people will say and do to save
expanding money or as an excuse for
not doing something that requires
effort or money or both.
When the first paving was laid it
Joined the wide sidewalks and there
was no place left to set the tie posts,
so they were banished from the
paved part Of town, thus putting
them again out into the mud.
At one time when it was proposed
to pave the street along the tie rack
somebody informed the council that
the acids deposited where the horses
stood would dissolve the bitumen
and slowly destroy the pavement.
That remark bluffed the council and
for long time stood as valid rea-
in mud and filth and people to wade
thru it,
When it was proposed TO lay con-
crete pavement along the tie racks,
somebody said that concrete is too
hard and that it is uncomfortable
for horses to stand on. That argu-
ment was sufficient to block action
in concrete construction and for
long period the dominant thought
was that bitulithic would not last
forever at the tie racks and that
concrete would tire the horses If they
stood on it for long time. In the
meantime the horses were standing
in mud and filth and nobody re-
marked that it was injurious for
horses to stand in that. People often
remarked that it was disagreeable
for men and women to get out
in the mud and filth and wade to
svxy hof .nnfnrir0 81
and offices, but the ever-present
thought of losing money on decaying
bitulithc or of having horses get
weary of standing on something
clean, but too hard, was sufficient
to justify leaving it alone and hav-
ing men and women suffer along
with the horses.
This state of affairs not only |
baffied members of the many city |
councils, but citizens as we'll. For |
years no solution was offered and |
finally the present council took the
bull by the horns and said in effect |
that they didn't know whether acids
would dissolve bitulithic pavement
on not, but If it did they would buy
more as often as it was needed.
They said that town that is built
and maintained for the purpose of
serving the needs of the country
around it, is in duty bound to furnish
suitable wharfs and landing places
for vessels IL it is sea port or lake
port, and suitable anchorage for
teams and landing places for people
when they get out of their vehicles;
that it was not encumbent upon peo-
pie arriving in the town to have to
wear gum boots to serve as lighters
to carry them ashore at the tie racks
and they ordered up pavement and
new hitching racks, sweeping aside
all objections.
We mention these matters to show
how dead q town may become, or
how dull peoples comprehension
may be on subjects that are perfectly
plain and right before them for con-
The force of habit and
the inclination to do as they have
done or to do nothing, is so strong
that it over rides perception and
thoughts Of progress.
These things ought to remind us
that there may be other things need
ing attention in public or private
grounds that are equally as foolish
and unjustified as the old condition
Of the tie racks just mentioned. For
example, all last winter, we had the
streets torn up where pavement
work was interrupted by early
storms, and in many places the
women Of the town were lifting baby
carriages up from muddy or frozen
streets on to the edge of concrete
walks all winter, when couple of
bushels of cinder would have built in
! slope that baby carriages could
have navigated without a Jar.
I In one of these places there was +
! bank Of earth accidentally thrown
lp on the side walk and 1t was left
here all winter In addition to the
'ther bank mentioned and 1t was on
me OF the most travelled corners In
own. In addition to the bank CT
arth on the walk, brick stuck up I
ONE four inches above the concrete
1alk and the dirt was packed about 6
by travel so that 1t remained.
Vhen the pavement was finished In e
arly summer and the contractor
leaned up HI OF his debris, the
roperty owner did not uncover bis t
de walk and II has remained all {
lmmer in the same condition 1t