The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-20


The public have good right to complain of
the manner in which the street cars are kept
by the companies. Time after time has the
press called upon our supine city authorities
to interfere in behalf of the public health,
without attracting any real attention from the
men who are ignorantly supposed to be public
servants With the warm weather the con-
dtion Of the cars has become so offensive and
the indignant protest Of the suffering citizens
so loud that at last our Mameluke officials
have been aroused to the necessity Of doing
something, or rather of appearing to do some
thing, in order to throw dust in the eyes of
the people. There is touch of humor
in the action of the Commissioners
Of the Board of Health that we
would scarcely have looked for from
such weighty and stolid men. The
public complain of one grievance and our
doughty Commissioners come to the rescue in
Quixotic fashion only to impose another.
Want of cleanliness in the cars is the princi-
pal complaint. Use of water is evidently
tabooed by the Car corporations, for at the
earliest or latest hour one may travel on any of
the cars the odors that assail the oifactory
nerves ore neither sweet nor pleasant. In fact,
it requires strong stomach to travel without
inconvenience on the city railroads, and we
believe the passengers always feel decided
relief when they can escape from the moving
pest houses
We are not opposed to joke, rather having
weakness for good one; but the humor of
the Health Commissioners is altogether too
grim for us. To tell the companies that if
they will not keep clean cushions on the cars
they must do away with cushions altogether is
o novel way Of Furnishing the corporations. We
never thought that travelling in the city was
in any way too luxurious and look forward to
the intended innovation with real alarm.
We venture to think though it may be pre-
sumptious on our part, that it is rather the duty
of the Commissioners to compel the COM
panies to keep clean cushions than to order
them to take them off, To people who are
tenderly constituted the proposed change
must be full Of terrors. Imagine the delight
full sensations of being jolted on hard boards
from the City Hall to Harleml Our enlight-
ened lawgivers have only to go one step fur
ther to become sublimely ridiculous Let them
order the springs to be taken off as tending
to introduce enervated habits. This would be
Spartan, and certainly just as reasonable as
the fat already sent forth But as we do not
live in heroic age the people have some OBJ
lection to have their comfort interfered with.
They feel, with much reason, that taking off
the cushions will not very greatly improve the
cleanliness Of the cars, but will add much to
the discomfort of travelling in them. They
have notion also that the authorities of this
city are sufficiently well paid to discharge
properly the duties confded to them for the
benefit of the citizens.
The causes which render it so difficult to
get public officials to act against rich and
influential corporations are well enough under
stood; but the people think that the time has
come when officials must be little honest and
somewhat faithful to their trust. Perhaps we
are expecting too much even from reformers
but people will be exacting. It would be
advisable for the Commissioners, for their
own sake, to reconsider their silly namby-
pnLhuJ AcBuAoooAS uAu give clcCI W tAo Juoc
demand Of the people for cleanliness in the cars.
Water is not an expensive element, and mops'
can be purchased at very moderate figure,
and these are the principal agencies in the
reform which we demand. When cushions
become worn and dirty there are comparatively
inexpensive and we'll known means of cleaning
or replacing them. To see that this is done
Of the proper time is the duty OF the Health
Commissioners and the police, and we have
some right to expect that this duty shall be
discharged This is question which init
mately affects the health and well being of
every family in the city, and we hope the Com
missioners will see the advisability Of taking