Main Street Refuses to Be Paved
Property owners between Fifth and Sixth beat back a macadam upgrade, a councilman berates them for it, and the street gets planks instead.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The opposition of Main street property owners, between Fifth and Sixth streets, against the improvement of that thoroughfare by macadam, was very decided last night, and resulted in the defeat of the proposition. In accordance with the wishes of the owners, planking will be substituted. Hazzard Stevens addressed the council in opposition to the macadam, while Councilman Percival, who introduced the resolution, bitterly berated the opponents to the plan and their methods of protesting. Mr. Percival afterwards withdrew his resolution, and the bid of Wm. Diggins was rejected. The clerk was instructed to advertise for bids for planking the street, the work to be completed within twenty days.
“Councilman Percival, who introduced the resolution, bitterly berated the opponents to the plan and their methods of protesting.”
Then as now, the fight over a downtown street was really a fight over who pays and who decides — the abutting owners vetoed the improvement and got cheap planking instead of proper pavement. The councilman's public scolding of his constituents is a reminder that the tone of local politics has not changed nearly as much as the paving has.
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