The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-07-05
july SESSION OF TIE Coxxos coUscL-Tnr

July SESSION OF THE COMMON CoUNcsL-THE
HEALTH OF THE CrTY.-This evening the July
session Of the Common Council opens, aud il is to be
hoped that they viii promptly take into cOnsidera-
ton the health of the city, and take measures to
have health wardens appointed for the several
wards, in place Of those dismissed The city was
never in such a state Of filth, particularly the
Fourth, Sixth, Ninth, Eleventh, and Fourteenth
wards. We shall only say, in word, that every
kind Of abomnation abounds in them, and we shall
not disgust the reader by giving details
Ever since the Common Council dismissed the
wardens in the beginning Of March, these officers,
though they nominaly continued to act, under the
City Inspector, in the hope that the courts of law
would decide in their favor. yet paid comparatively
little attention to their duties, because they were
not sure of being paid; and the result has proved
that if they had exerted themselves ever so much,
they would not have received q dollar in return.
But now that the Supreme Court has decided
that the Common Council has a right to abolish
the wardens, and that they are not entitled
to any salary from the time that the resolution
Of the City government took effect, the wardens,
of course, have retired altogether, and bad as
the condition Of the city was before. it is now
far worse; and unless the Common Council inn
mediately direct that the City Inspector shall APP
point wardens, they will probably have more to an
swer for than they are aware Of
It was not the intention Of the Legslat to give
that body the power of dispensing with wardens al
together-in fact, it contemplated that they
could possibly commit so mprudent an act. The
law says ''The City Inspector shall appoint as many
health wardens the Common Council shall direct"
That implies that the Common Council would APP
point some health wardens-be the same more or
less-but not by any means that they should APP
point none at ALL which is decidedly contrary to the
spirit of the act. 1t is curious fact that in every
question involving the health of the city, the Judge
invariably decide in favor Of filth Probably, if they
lived in those neghborhoods that are seriously af-
fected by their decisions, they might be induced to
give different judgment The stencil in their nos
trils would be an excellent guide to the true inter-
probation of the law.
As the matter now stands, the City Inspector is
paralyzed and his Office is rendered useless He
appoint only as many wardens as the Common Coun-
Gil shall direct If they do not give any direction,
he cannot appoint any. But they refuse to give any
direction unless the City Inspector appoints such
men as they please-in fact, democrats. The City
Inspector, however, is whig, and does not want
to appoint democrats, or, rather, he does
not want to get rid of the wings he long
since appointed, and who are familiar with
the duties of their Office, and are acquainted
with all the localities in the different wards, and
must, therefore, be efficient than any new men
would be. The result is, that no wardens at all
now exist, and the city is without them for the first
time for long series of years But the city cannot
do without health wardens and this state of things
ought not to be continued any longer.
When the City Inspector was elected by the
people, he ran ahead of his ticket, and obtained
very large vote, thus showing that democrats
voted for him. and were satisfied with the il
which he fulfilled the duties Of his Office This re
suit was owing, in no small degree, to the opposi
ton he received from the whig Common Council o
that day, which uniformly opposed his sanitary
measures during the awful period of the cholera
This shows that DIR. White is not partisan
and the Common Council would consult its WI
dignity and the interests of the people, by allowing
him to exercise the privilege the law gives him o
appointing the men who to act under him. III
is responsible for the health Of the city, and the Law
presumes that he knows best what kind Of mon t
select. Suppose the Common Council appointed
men who were unfriendy to him, he never cou,
carry out his measures. He is the head of tn
health department, as the Mayor is the head Of tn
police department, and has the same right to up
point the officers whose duty it is to maintain
healthy condition of the city. This arises from th
very necessity of the case; and the public heat
is not matter to be trHed with, or be placed for
moment in competition with political considera
tons, it is to be hoped the Common Council wi
yield to common sense, and show an example {
~.
estimation of their fellow citizens of all parties