The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-25

deleteri0us emuvla noverlng ROUND THESE neetS
Of pestilence, we can only conjecture. With ell
his care, the Health Inspector cannot inform us
through what streets the fever patients whose
deaths he records. were in the habit Of passing
To the picture we have drawn-for the fidelity
Of which every citizen of New York will readily
vouch-but one touch is wanting and that is the
law on the subject. An ordinance of l849, sec
2, declares that
All pavements hereafter to be laid In any Of the
streets or lanes Of this city by the Superintendent Of
Pavements or contractors for the construction Of
shall, after the pavement is laid and driven down.
have covered over them inch thickness of pure
sand and more.
We need hardly say that. if this were OBJ
served. we should seldom be Inconvenience by
dust. Instead Of lone inch of pure sand" we
have the best authority for stating that, in al
most every instance above mentioned, the con-
tractors cover the pavement with some three
inches of fine powder, part stone, part earth,
part sand, and part rubbish. Why is this suf
fered? Is it nobodys duty to prosecute the
offenders?
Again: Section l of an ordinance of April
1S49 says
No person or persons shall throw, cast or lay any
ashes, ofal, vegetables, garbage, dr0ss cinders,
shells, straw shavings dirt, filth or rubbish Of any
kind whatever in any street. ane or alley public
place, in the city of New York.
Although this law has been in force nearly
four years, and although heaps of almost every
variety of all the substances enumerated in the
above catalogue this moment cucumber the
pavement Of half the streets of the city, not Q
single prosecution before competent court has
ever taken place under the ordinance.
Mr.. Henry Arcularius, Jr., very naively re-
marks in his report: Ordinances are either
something OF nothing" As Mr.. Arcularius
grows older and wiser. he will discover the fol-
~ of such remark, and will agree, with US,
that ordinances passed by the City Council
avail absolutely nothing. They are very orna-
mental to the statute book, but of no use
whatever to the city Anybody may break
them who pleases. 1t is nobody's business to
see them observed. City officers don't care,
policemen don't care, citizens don't want the
trouble of meddling in the matter.
The same gentleman informs us that s228,1
were expended last year in cleaning the
streets. We can only regard this as playful
piece of pleasantly on the part Of Mr.. Arcula-
RUS. Over quarter Of million spent in clean
ing streets, which, to our certain knowledge,
have never been clean for one whole week
out Of the year! To use the expressive phrase
Of the Down-Easter, this is a pilin' Of it up a
leetle too mountainous" this is. We do not
mean to impute wilful Misrepresentation to the
commissioner, but we fancy some wicked goblin
must have diverted itself by carrying back the
mud as fast as Mr. Arcularius' carts carried
it away.
One word more. Whose business is it to pro
secute offenders against the city ordinances?
If citizen visits the stationhouse, and
complains that his neighbors incommode him
by throwing garbage into the streets opposite
his door, he is civilly recommended to prose-
cute, and shown pretty plainly that the inspec-
tors and the police consider it none of their
business. There is some mistake here. five
pay men to inspect our streets we ought not to
be driven to the expense and trouble of inspect
ing them ourselves. Let us know the law On
the point Can any one turn informer. and is
there any profit attached to the Office? If so,
we have batch of delinquents in our eye and
some poor fellow who is starving might make
a good thing out of them.
GEN. PIERCE's APPo1NrNENrs.-It is an old
adage, well endorsed by experience, that the
proof Of the pudding is in the eating thereof"
In fact, the trial Of thing is the only true test
of its quality. And upon this test, thus far,
the new administration will bear pretty rigid
examination in the matter Of it's appointments.
1t is simply impossible that all could be good.
The President Of the United States were he as
old as Methuselah could not be expected to
know everybody. OF the claims of many per-
sons for Office he can Judge only from the vouch-
ers laid before him ; and if it too often happens
that they exaggerate the merits of the individu-
al, it is but fair to assume that he has made
the best selection that he could from the lights
before him.
Gen. Pierce has been making some good ap-
pointments Major Hobbie, rs First Assistant
Postmaster General is a capital appointment.
IF his health will allow, we are quite we'll sats-
fed that in due time he will rectify the running
machinery of his vast field Of operations to the
public satisfaction and we are equally well
satisfied that his late predecessors have left no
sinecure upon his hands. The appointment Of
Col. Campbell, late Consul at Havana. to the
head of the Mexican Boundary Commission. is
good. The continuance of John Randolph Clay
in his post at Peru, and his promotion to full
minister we should saw was also iudicions and
due to him for the good services which, as di-
plomat. he has heretofore rendered Charles III.
Peaslee, as Collector of Boston. we doubt not
will give full satisfaction to the merchants Of
that city and the public at large. He is
modest. honest. unassuming and worthy
man. Judge Upham, of Concord, and John
Addison Thomas, of this city. as the
American Commissioners to London for
the settlement of private international