The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-04-22
WARD
CITIZENS
IN PROTEST

over a hundred and nifty prop
erty owners from the Eleventh
ward crowded into the Lafayette
school last evening and denounced
In no uncertain terms the selfish
ness of the corner lot owners on
Rohde avenue, who, with few ex-
ceptions. are seeking to make use
Of the street for private purposes
by putting the sidewalk on the curb
instead of the lot lines.
All of the members of the board
Of public works We're present and
there can be no doubt left in their
minds as to what the great major
ity of the people of the East Side
want.
The result of the meeting was
the appointment of a committee of
five, consisting of Frank B. Doher-
ty. Englehart UIlrich. Charles S.
Burke. Leon j. Granger and Charles
Scott, to meet representatives of
the Rohde avenue corner owners in
the presence of the members of the
board Of public works, al the City
Hall next Monday afternoon in an
effort to effect a compromise and
to report back to the citizens who
attended the meeting last evening
Another committee, consisting of
Theodore Klotz. William Lynch and
IT. Doolin, was appointed to draw
an ordinance, and seek it's passage
by the Hammond City Council. pre-
venting the building OF walks any
where but on the lot lines in the
future.
DETERMINED CITTZENRY.
No one who attended the meeting
last night could question the deter
mination of those who were pres
ent. In fact IT was difficult TO pre-
serve the necessary restraint that
was necessary to bring about So
luton of the question
But the spirit of tolerance was
also present. The members of the
board pointed out that the self
seeking property owners on Rhode
avenue had come with a petition
signed by all but one or two of the
property owners on the street. ask
ing for the placing of the walk to
the curb, and that the other prop
erty owners in the district had not
been present TO demonstrate.
The matter has been permitted to
20 by default as is frequently the
case until a neighborhood becomes
aroused. The property owners had
expected that the board would fol-
l.,
been one of the unwritten rules Of
the board.
But now that the East Side is up
In arms, and the board knows the
sentiments of the great majority of
the property owners, the situation
Is entirely different One great
principle has come to be recognized
as a result of this controversy. and
that is this: The streets of Ham
mond belong to the public. The in
tegrity of a street cannot be vio-
lated without injury to the whole
city The fact that the improve
ment Of streets is done by special
assessments instead of general tax
alton does not give the abuting
property owners the right TO i'm
pair their future usefulness by re
ducing their utilizable with. The
laws Of the state prescribe methods
by which streets may be vacated
but these vacation proceedings re-
cognize the interest of the whole
community in its streets.
TELLS or CHILD KILLING.
Leon J. Granger made a telling
point last evening when he tald
how a child had stepped off from
one of the curb sidewalks in the
Lyndora addition only foot or
two into the street and was killed
by a passing automobile.
The grass plot or terrace would
have given the driver time to avoid
an accident and might have saved
the chnd's life. The Lyndora addi-
tion was laid out by engineers of
the United States Housing Corpor-
alton.
The fact was made plain that If
the Rohde avenue property owners
are permitted to take possession of
the street. the same thing will be
done on many other streets in the
city and incaIcuable damage will
be done
Hence. instead of settling the
problem. the board of works will
find that the trouble has only got
good start and it Will be in hot
water on sidewalk controversies
for years to come. That is why so
much interest is being taken in
Rohde avenue.
EVERYBODY TALKS.
The meeting last night lasted
fvU n honrs and /, half Naari.y