The Argument for a Public Pleasure Ground

The people of Walla Walla require amusement, have the money to pay for it, and mean to have it. This growing city has a large and constantly growing population of men and women who are free to spend their evenings in recreation. The stores close early and a small army of proprietors and clerks, tired of business and hungry for restful pleasure, find themselves with a long evening ahead of them. Under these circumstances, Walla Walla may well welcome the establishment of resorts which are conducted on a moral plan. So far as places for carrying on indoor amusements are concerned, the city is, or soon will be, sufficiently supplied, but there is a positive demand for an eligible permanent site for outdoor entertainments. There is at present no permanent site for a fruit fair, or a ball park, or small traveling shows. The vacant lots and blocks are being constantly encroached upon, and persons wishing to visit any game or show find themselves constantly required to move farther out from the common center of the town. This condition should be remedied by the city owning its own public grounds. The city is the owner of the waterworks, which is a producer of a large amount of revenue. The council is the trustee of the citizens for the management of this valuable property. It is probable that the revenues from the waterworks will never again fall below $50,000. This sum is amply sufficient, if honestly and intelligently administered, to provide a small fixed fund out of which payments could be made annually or semi-annually for the purpose of purchasing a site for the public amusement grounds.