5800_01_1890_Page_2

2
Journal of the Proceedings of the
Dec 8th 1890
Wealth to buy what money can buy-
but they can't buy a lost opportunity-
The subject of public improvement in
the form of Public Parks usually meets
with oppositioin. In the minds of many
people it means an immediate outlay
of a very large sum of money Their minds
are filled with apprehension of heavy
taxation. They imagine the whole scheme is
devised to benefit the rich at the expense
of the poor. The asurdity of this is proved
bythe repeated experiences of other Cities
in this country as well as in Europe. In
tenyears preceeding the Commencement of
work on Central Park new York the incre-
ased valuation of taxable property in the
Wards immediately surrounding it was
no less than $54,000,000 Affording a surplus
after paying interest on all the City
Bonds issues for the purchase and Con-
struction of the Park costing $3,000,000-
It is but a few years since the Country was
ringing with denunciation of the Extravagance
of the Authorities at Washington in the sys-
tem of improvement which was inprogress.
We hear nothing of it now and instead
of a filthy shanty town they have a
City whose magnificence is attracting
a Wealthy Class of residents who can
afford to bui;d houses in Keeping with the
surroundings. The expenditures which
were determined yesterday have found
the best investment that could possible
have been made. We shall indeed be
wise of we take warning from other
Cities (for example New York) and