The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-19
MAYOR Fox on Our Filthx streets.


The message sent by Mayor Fox to Select
Council yesterday, returning the resolution
requesting him to sign the February warrants
of the street contractors, cannot fail to COM
mand universal appreciation. The pith and
point of the whole document are embraced in
the following PASSAGE
my duty was so plainly indicated to me. that
would have been lastly amenable to public
criticism had consented TO pay money out OF
The City Treasury TO those who mad no legal or
equitable right TO receive H."
This is q sound, common sense, business
like view Of the subject, such as would be
taken by any reasonable man familiar with
the facts in the case, and nourishing none of
that tender sympathy with contractors who
utterly defy the terms Of their contracts,
which is so prevalent in official circles at the
present day. "There was time" says the
Mayor in his message, "when our city was
remarkable for its clean Streets" That this
time has long since been swallowed up in the
past is patent to every person who walks our
streets as II is to the Mayor, whether that
person be merely private citizen, member
of Councils, or one Of the reprehensible con-
tractors themselves. The streets are In a
filthy condition, the contractors are not making
any reasonable fort to clean them according to
the terms Of their contracts; and II Mayor Fox
should sign the warrants for their pay, 1t
would not only be granting them gratuity,
as he maintains in his message, but it would
be an Out-and-out robbery of the City Trea-
sury.
The resolution vetoed by the Mayor directs
the Superintendent Of Street Cleansing to pro-
oeed at once TO clean our thoroughfares, the
work thus devolving upon one of the regular
officers of the city to be paid for out of the
fund retained by the city, being one-tenth OF
each monthly instalment Of the pay of the
contractors. The Mayor states that he would
have interposed NO objection to this provi-
sion, if the resolution had not embraced a
request for him to sign the February warrants.
But 1t is extremely doubtful II the fund re-
tanned by the city is large enough to meet
the expense OF thoroughly cleansing our dirty
streets. Not only was there no decent pre-
tense Of doing their work made by the con-
tractors during the month of February, but
for months before their duty under the
contracts had been practically ignored, SO that
we have now under our eyes the accumulated
refuse and filth OF months. The only sensible
and practicable way OF remedying the abuses
to which these highwaymen have subjected
us is for Councils to authorize a thorough
renovation Of the city by somebody who will
do his duty, to coDfiscate all the money now
owing the contractors for meeting the ex-
pense, and to make good the deficiency by
prosecuting the securities of the contractors
The shameless action Of these public plum
derers has continued 30 long that further for
bearanee with their shortcomings is the op
posits Of adssirable virtue in our munioipa
authorities. II we would avoid pestilencs
the street contractors must be broHght uI
\ with q round turn, and that without any
mere delay or quibbbug.