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We briefly alluded last week to the big public meeting last Thurs- (lay evening in the council chamher on the matter of macadamizing some dozen or so of the streets on. the east side. of the tracks. It was certainly a representative gathering, if this town ever had one. . Among those present were ex~Mayors .Boyington. Middleton. Morgan. Turnley, Er- skine and Fletcher together with Messrs. E. H. Broxm “. S. Lasher, George L. Wrenn. J (i. O'Brien. Theo. Schwartz. James MacDonald, H. C...S.ampson. E. S. Boynton. B. A. Fessenden, W. M. Dooley. E. E. I’arrott. T. H. Spencer, (‘olr 'H. P. Davidson, L. (i. Yoe. J. \V. \Vakem. W. 0. Hipwell, George ”B. Cunr mings and many others. After the transaction of some or- dinary business the clerk read the petitions of those protesting against the paving of the streets in the fol, lowing;r order: From the owners of the oroperty fronting on Linden. Port Clinton. Hazel. Dale. Park ave- nues and Elm Place, together with one from the property owners. in meeting assembled, on the north end of Port Clinton protesting against the changing of the grades of the street and sidewalks on that thor- oughtare. Then came the speeches which we briefly summarize. John Middleton. laVors improve ments not by wholesale. but graduâ€" ally, as two or three streets a year. l‘sually the property holders hare some voice. in puttng in these im' provemenls. He has 2300 feet, front age on these streets to be improved. but had never heard a Word about it till it‘eame up in the eolmeil. When men can't earn their bread and but» ter. he thought it was a bad time to levy a lot of special assessments. Besides it would be the worst thingr that ever happened to our working men; it would put scores of Italian and other laborers in here. any the money out, of town, do the Work all in one season and then leave our men with no way to earn theirbread. WHOLESALE IMPROVEMENTS. VOL ‘I ~ Highland Park News. I-HGHLAND' PARK, ILL.) He said: “I ought to have been con- sulted. l Ell!) the ‘futher' of special assessments in this city and. believe in it still. but not at this time and in this way.” [Cheers] George L. Wrenn “This scheme would hit me on over 850 feet, and some of it, as on Central avenue. carry heavy specials now. ,I am as- sessed on one street $1,000 for water mains that have never been used. I have opened more. streets than any man in this city, but to push this scheme now would he to confiscate my property. which I have carried and paid taxes on all these (24) years. 1 alsu oppose the plan of improving all the street; Kat once .. we’ don‘t know how 51ft to build first- class streets." Col. P. T. Turn‘ey » “l want the streets improved; Port Clinton has been improved once, and is worse than before. As the Sheridan road will become a great interstate high- Way. others than the ahutters should help huildland keep it in repair. Also. let us enforce our 3-inch tire ordinance. only have wider tires still. ln Baltimore they have 4 or Sincli tires and no ruts or holes in their streets." [Cheers I T. H. Spencer “We.on St. Johns avenue. are not ohstructionists. though we do object to a kind and eost. of street improvement which we do not like. All we ask is respect for our legitimate rights. Highland Park don‘t know how yet, to build good streets; let us go slow till we learn. Let us also have 1-inch tires. and the front, axles four inches short» er on each end than the rear ones. and then every loaded team rolls |down the streets eight inches wide on eaeh side of the wagon. We -an't all'ord all these streets now. even if werp sure of good. enduring work." I W. S. Lashvr “I don't take mnvh " stuck in those estimatvs ‘(lmlding up ‘ Mr. Kit-9's circular letter). Why,‘ Brntlmr Vail ('mm-s around (-very ‘ lifllo while. gives me- estinmtes nf Imw mm-h it will oust mu :1 minute- 3 APRIL 30, 1897. for a $10,000 life policy, but 1 take no stock in these estimates |laughter and cheers I. I own some 1100 feet front affected by this scheme, bought 21 years ago and 1 will sell 400 feet of that at $10 per foot and let you have the whole of it for specials if Mr. Rice or anyone else will sell it. But you can't sell it; no one can sell it. Now if I can't sell property. and you real estate men can't sell it to raise money to pay these specials, how are our people to raise the money? This scheme means confis- cation by wholesale. and 1 am op- posed to it." W. W. Boyington “l have .trav- eled our streets‘ZQ/"veag's and never saw them worse than '36th They say these improvements enhance the value of the property. 1 hays a lot on which l have paid $1500 in these special assessments and you may have my lot, improvements and all, for $1500, and I will throw in the cost of the land. ()ur sewer system don"t drain our streets as they should. We can't make these imâ€" provements now: we can‘t pay for them; wait." E. H. Brown “These letters to the alder-men are amusing; how did they get them‘.‘ If i had the mon- ey i would be glad of these in)» provemeuts. hut in these times it is suicidal. This scheme means com~ plication and we must be careful; this is not thetime." [Cheers] W. 0. Hipwellv “When l was in the eouncil~lots of these special as‘ sessments were stopped because the, city had no funds to pay its share for erossings. etc. Well, if the eity could not raise the money to pay its share. how C()lll(l the people raise it to pay theirs 1’ We used to haw very good streets by eleaning the gutters and putting on gravel and could do so now. but this wholeâ€" sale scheme is not feasible new." (‘ol. H. l’. Davidson, alderman eleet in the Third ward “I am sax" ing my thunder. We don't know (‘UN(‘I.I'I)EI) 0N REFUND PUH'