The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-08-04

a rail-, on Long Island, In reply TO an article which
We gave yesterday morning, relative to the mise
rable condition of the Streets
THURSDAY, August 8, 1s4S.
JAMES GORDON BENNETT, ESQ.,,
For some days past, you have INDUCED in
rather revere remarks concerning the condition
81
the members of the Common Council Of neglect of
duty, and of paying more attention to dinners and
other entertainments of pleasure than to the bust
ness which, servants Of the people, they bound
to attend to- IL is evident however that you do not
speak from q thorough knowledge OF the facts; and
inasmuch you have published the names Of the
members in list-including mine-"that the public
may know who is responsible for this lame and mpro
per management, as you pleased to style it, hope
you will indulge with the privilege of endeavoring
at least, to set you right in the premises.
You state that the streets are in very filthy cond
ton, and suppose that majority of your readers
tually believe but that this state of hngs is owing
to the neglect remissness, or incompetency of the
Common Council is to say the least of it, great mis-
take The streets Of this city have been
than since the present Common Council were sworn
into ohice-and l will warrant, that tho venerable
gentleman known the 'oldest inhabitaut,n if he
has not gone to the Springs, Newport or Niagara
Coney Island or to Cuba to make preparation 80
that great island to this republic-wi bear me
out in the assertion. mention him particularly be-
cause it is generally presumed that he knows every
thing; but will also appeal to of this generation
for proof OF declaration; and II the streets
SO clean now as they month ago, the fault lies
in the mode of cleaning them, and not in those whose
duty 1t is to keep them clean You may ray then of
the system is bad one, why not adopt better?'; A
very proper question, certainly but instead of calling
on some one to answer it. you make the reply without
first asking equestion by stating that the members
of the Common Council do nothing, and are sperectly
lost to shame and true sense of the position they
occupy
card, you would not be SO unjust in your remarks
and you very much in the allow me to light
you along to true state of the On the second
meeting of the Board of Assistant Aldermen, l, as
Chairman of the Committee Clea ming Streets sub
mitted report on the subject "a copy of which send
n hv nutr mt hat
report as strong words could make it. Immed.
stely thereafter, ordinance submitted to the
Board OF Aldermen by the proper committee of that
Board Ia copy of which, also, send you) which was
to the Board Of Assistants for concurrence and
which. after being debated and amended, passed
June 26th, and sent back to the Board Of Aldermen
where 1t was adopted July 3D., and approved by the
Mayor July 14th. That ordinance occupies nearly
twelve pages OF document form paper and is said by
those who have read it to perfect as such an one
be. If you would lay that and the report before
your readers they could judge whether not members
Of the Common Council do nothing but eat canvass
back ducks and go excursions. Well after the
passage of the ordinance the next thing adver-
which day being last Friday, they were duly opened
by the Committee, and such pile there of them,
that the Clerk ordered to make out an abstract
and when he should have completed it call the ON
mittee together al ten o'clock in the morning The
Committee are already called, and will meet Ger
tain day this week, to consider and determine the
matter and much Judgment and discrimina alton will
be necessary to proper fulfmen. and cousummation
Of it. Thus you see the Common Council have done
that hereafter you will give us credit when We do
generous action" Paul Pry says, instead of con-
guilty To carry the affairs of this city, great
deal of care labor and attention are requisite and
committees of he Common Council are ia session
every day the year roundsometimes all day and all
misunderstanding the great talk about "a
recess until the first Monday of September - and
inasmuch they work for nothing it ia but fair
and just that you should exercise as much for
bearance and charity possible towards them
Our duties ore multifarons, and of them
VQrV nnfh nifh SEo t1,ax
along as smoothly and do duty as thoroughly, as
any of our llustrous predecessors have; and if the
streets are dirty now, it is tina they were
last year fer according to report they have
been growing dirter and dirtier for many years last
past. According to calculations that might be made
from newspaper paragraphs in regard to the increase
Of the filth of the streets in each succeeding year. the
dirt continually accommodating, like money interest
would at this writing be even with tine story
windows of houses in Broadway, and much higher in
some other streets but it not now, and yet the
Common Councils get credit for what they have done
in order to keep dirt-dom within reasonable bounds
However tits well enough to find fault with and abuse
members Of the Common Councl-f"r, as the old wo.
to it. and it don't hurt 'en bitn
Respectfully yours, CHARLES WEBB,
Assistant Alderman of the Sixteenth Ward
This is very good and very funny. The alder
man thinks that the streets are cleaner now. or
were a few weeks ago, than they have been for
year, or two, or three. That may be, and yet
they may be In most dlsgraceful condition. We
had hoped that the new Common Council would
arrest some of the hayward doings of the late
members OF that body, but are sorry to say we
see little or no difference in the management of
the affairs of the city.
1t is also stated by Alderman W., that, at the
second meeting of the new board, which took
place on the 10th of May, he, as chairman of the
Committee on Cleaning Streets, reported an ordl.
nance tor cleaning the streets by contract which
received the sanction of the Mayor on the 18th of
July, requiring only two months to pass law to
which all were favorable. After the ordinance
became law, 1t was necessary to advertise for
which was accordingly done; and we
are crediby informed that already nearly cart
load have been received by the committee, and
the highest offered will not exceed one-half the
amount which was paid for the purpose this last
year.
The alderman complains that we will not give
them credit when they do effect any thing for the
public good. To this charge we demur. We
have always urged the necessity of the contract
system, and when the subject was first spoken of
gave them full credit but we cannot render unto
Caesar the things which are not his, and give
credit where there is none to be seen. We will
give Alderman Webb due credit for his exertions
or the contract system; he has worked hard for
his system, but when he says that they have at
ended to their duties thoroughly as any of their
'ilustrlous predecessors, we admire his modesty.
N thus working as thoroughly he claims very
lite. But we expected more from them than a |
continuation of the unwise Legislation which had |
'cen visited upon us for years past, and do still
ook for those measures which will tend to the |
'ublic good.
We understand that since the contract system
vas spoken of, many of the laborers have been
discharged from the streets We may be wrong.
tut SO we have been informed. We leave the
'ublic to Judge for themselves, and visit will |
'atisfy the most ncredulous. But sweeping the
streets Is not all that is required it is compelling
he servants to keep their garbage till the carts |