Show THE PROPERTY TO DECIDE There are those who think or say tho city council and not the propert owners should decide the question of making public pub-lic improvements They argue that if the people control in the matter the improvements improve-ments will not be made propertyowners voting against them in order to avoid the expense while if the council decides personal per-sonal interest will be less likely to influence the judgment THE HERALD has been iskcd how many streets it thinks would be paved if the lotowners were to pass upon the proposition Our answer is just as many as should be paved The owners of Ihe abutting lots are the best judges of the necessity the wisdom and their ability to pave the street and the decision should be left entirely to them the majority to rule t has ever been found in these matters that the judgment of the majority was in favor of tho cimprovement where the improvement was needed and the people were able to pay for it Only when the propertyowners have been too poor to pay for what was asked has the improvement been voted down Lf it were proposed to pave a side or unimportant street the traffic on which was light and would not be materially mater-ially increased by a good road the chances are that the proposition would be voted town Under such circumstances would It Tje proper for the council to order the pavement and compel the propertyowners to pay the cost THE HERALD thinks it wouldnot only not be proper but would be unjust and wrong If the Council were to decide in these matters there might come a time when very great hardship would be inflicted for we all know that the best of wisdom does not at all times characterize the judgment of counc ils nor is there any assurance that responsible trustworthy men will always sit in the municipal legislature We can readily imagine the return of a council the majority of the members of which will be nonpropertyowners devoid de-void of interest in the city and little less than adventurers The way in which elections can be manipulated in this city it wouldnt be difficult to choose as councilmen toughs and thieves or turn the city over to dolts and scrubs Under such circumstances how easy a matter it would be to despoil and plunder rich and poor alike in the name of public Improvements I The owners of the land may be safely trusted to decide wisely as to street pavement pave-ment and other improvements and their Judgment in nine cases out of ten will be better than that of the council Each street should have the right to decide for itself the majority to rule in this as in other public pub-lic matters Then the hardships if any shall result will be reduced to the minimum mini-mum |