New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-03-10

That something must be done 70 put and keep the
streets Of New-York in decent cleanliness, 10 ad-
mitted. That it will ever be done under the pre-
sent nnlfcontrsc', hsfjob and whole swindle sy'-
TEN, DO one belives. We are now literally wallow-
ing in the ola. and garbage accamulatons of the
winter. thousand dollars day in calm weather,
aud FIVE thousand when the wind is high aud the
dust fly ing, would not pay the current damage t.
business and property occasiOned by this flthiness,
" soy nothing of the disgrace brought upon US as
people. We are DOW taxed quarter Of million
per yesr FOR street sweeping; the bills have gradu-
ally increased from year to year while the serSics
has been more snd more neglected, until there are
streets that have not beer swept for SIX months st
b tine Messrs. Dodge, Arcuiarius, Glazer, Eb-
ling have gone IN from bad 10 worse until it would
seem Impossible 10 conceive Of q lower depth OF
.fficial di-seIyice Ad just now, the power that
rules over municipal dirt is urglog forward the re-
letting Of contracts for street cleaning, lest the
Legs AZURE should step in and take the work of
his bands.
And why is ii that We are doomed to this unclean
Misery Nex.YOrk is the easiest city Of it, size in
The Grid to keep cein We have good drainage,
plenty Of wster, easy grades, very fair psvemens,
aud but a short dstaIce TO cart he sweepngs. 1t
is because Of our rotten system Of political spells
and rewards, and the chronic indispOstion OF city
officers to do their duty Especially Ii the Street
Cleaning Depar tment has this been the case. The
head Of that Department employs, or rather causes
10 he paid, large force OF stree.-sweepers,
spr Lk.rs, leaders, drivers and their accessories,
EVER, one of whom can vote. The more men he
COLI manage to keep hang ug around him, the more
power be Wields IN he csucus; ami it is to the ex
erclre Of this power and The gathering Of its fruits,
tina be devOfes all his energies Therefore, if be
COL keep hundred meu AZ a job which ten ought
"a do, he sees Dineiy reasons 10 ten for doing it.
And even under the contract system the same state
of fscs tx sts with the difference that the nominal
bead il the contractor though the influence Of the
Commissioner is still the real power. Nor is it to
be supposed that the existing syscem tends to the
liberal payment Of the real lacOrers emp Dyed. The
money goes from ore mlddlensn TO another, losing
most asfcnishingb BY the friction, until the dosrs
that cape from the Treasury 10 the wieders Of
the hoe and the broom scarcely larger than dimes.
Thus, instead OF Street Cleaning Department, we
have iu fact, Department for Electng Public
Officers and iestterlng their nests.
We must have not only q reform in men, but in
methods also, or shall never get cut of our scan
dsloUs flrhipess. There should be, and we presume
there are, machines which will clean New.York
thoroughly, aud keep it clean for two-thirds and
perhaps half the present cost. Cities in England
are thus clesnsed, q, cost merely nominal; and
Yonkee ingenuity certainly cannot be at fault where
money is to be made. II 40 English machine can
keep Liverpool in decent order, there must be
American mechanics who would keep New York
at least as clean as a farmers hOgpen-f they
could get the privilege of trying. But there is just
the difficulty. The polite takes the place of the
public servant and ress.s ali innovations for fear
that be mas not have influence over 80 mXDy votes
as under the old system. He knows, if he knows
auy thing that hand -broOms snd shOvels are, with
.sge.cosches and hand presses, far behind the age
but his private interests and political consequence
are at stake; and go the public is plundered. VIVA.
is to be done