, 1873-03-10
OUR STREETS.
Now Clean Them Up---The
Duty Of the Hour.
Putting Things to Rights for the
Season.
The Work to Be Done and Who Is to
Do It,

The Work to Be Done and Who Is t
Do It.
Perhaps it was as well, after all, that m Arctic
winter followed the summer Of our great re-
building. Human nature cannot stand every
thing, and this present generation Of citizens,
who went through the wear and tear Of putting
away the marks OF the fire by putting s5o, ,ooo,-
GOO into the new and noble structures OF our
new Chicago, were perhaps all the more surely
saved to enjoy tho work Of their hands by the
enforced standsti1l that came down upon us with
the fall Of the mercury, and it's persistence in
the lower degrees of the scale Of Fahrenheit.
Hibernation has been genuine this time, and it
our restless men hare growled like bears they
have certainly wintered like bears in doing moth
ing. Atlastspring is upon us. We say it timid-
IL. not knowing whether We are to have q Rnow
to expect spring, and yernal breezes aud rainfalls
without congelation, and early lettuce. Within
the past few days the surface OF our pavements
has come back to us, and the ice-heaps are di-
minishing, and the mud is in full stage; and
open weather, with the reservations limited at,
is here at last.
1QEIt 16 EQuHLnluE u UG Au0o LII LAS hAt u
spring cleaning this year not often known in the
history of any city. Miles of cur best streets
are choked and impaired by heaps Of rubbish
and building refuse. The building operations
Of last year postponed eren the ordinary
street cleaning, and we hare the accunu-
lated dirt and filth Of year to dispose
Of It must be done early, aud thoroughly.
It is part of the contract Of rebuild
ing, and must go With it. Our noble
ranges Of stores and office buildings will be
inaccessible and injured by delay this matter.
Builders and tenants are alike interested, and
in many cases there will be no tenants until this
Is done, and we'll done.
Wabash avenue property have wisely
aoved in the matter. They know that their
noble thoroughfare is sure to suffer seriously by
poetponement OF spring cleaning and putting
in good order for business. Dirt, filth,
and debris everywhere, choked cutters, gaps
where sidewalks should be, rubbish impeding
pedestrians, and perilous to vehicles, leaving
scarcely one-third OF the roadway for passage at
many points,
What is true Of Wabash arenue ia true Of all
our streets in the rebui1t-we used to write it
the burnt district, and millions Of dollars OF
property invested in buildings will suffer serious
~ in the loss OF quick returns unless the proper
authorities roll up their sleeves and fall at work.
There are men and teams enough to make the
process quick one. Happily, thework will have
= douhie result. It will improve the streets, and
will put the Lake Park in order. There is rub
bish and debris enough under the feet OF our
et1eet pilgrims to fill q wide area OF the Lakc
Park smooth and even, and put it in order for
the citys parade-ground and front-yard. We
trust that the petty lake and mountain effects
once sought in that locality are gone, never to
be revived. Fill it up smoothly, and let
1t have an expanse Of we1l-kept swa1d,
and don't try to reproduce Switzerland in that
email area II the whole lake-basin could not
be kesstfr from weeds aud filth, what chance
Is thnre for puny chain Of wretched puddleo
arranged simply to justify the expense OF mock
bridges.
It Was well done that the emergency struc-
lures were all forced to depart and give back the
open area to the public, aud now when the
streets are cleared the lArger share of that whole
area Will be found to be filed to grade, 80 i'm
mense we're the deposits OF last season.
So that q treble reason inforces prompt, quick,
and strong work by our authorities in this mat
tel. The health Of the city demands it. Tho
condition OF the streets and the necessities OF
our new quarters Of trade inforce it. And
every load Of rubbish removed by short haul
to the lake shore helpa the speedy and now easy
Development Of q feature OF beauty and health
there. It is not SO pleasant, and yet quite az
necessary. to discuss the absolute requirement
for large amount OF work on pavement and its
repaira. Our wooden block street coverings
we're not burned by the fire, az the first exciting
dispatches declared, but they have been actually
worn out and dug into holes and pitfalls by the
building operations of last season. Spring finds
miles Of cur best streets in W1etched condition.
This Is not so much to be regretted, indeed, be-
tensive amount Of filing and repaving in time
But as this will not be pushed all at once, there
must be vast deal of patching and repairing to
keep the wo-n-out and broken payements up to
q reasonable condition of usefulness and safety
But it is curtain that the best interests of
p1operty-oT'ers in quarters pushing their rival
y for the bort trade will require, even at some
sacrifice, an early and complete filling and re-
paving Of their respective streets, and where
this is soonest done, the best trade will settle.
It will certainly shun streets sure to remain out
OF order Tor sonac seasons to come. As An iu-
stance Of tho awakening Of this conviction, we
are glad to notice strong movement of property
owneEn to put Clark street into condition, By
street to the 1iver. There Is apparent q promise
that thta will be among the earliest work OF the
eesson- The City Railway Company have
laid their track, but are anxious
5 5fR anS nIs9 tba ret IN the
then hoped BY midsummer to put on the through
line OF cars from Twenty-second street to Lin
coin Park, and give . through connection Of
great Importance to the city,-a matter in which
our entire public in both divisions arc strongly
and hope to see accomplished.
These facts and foreshadowing Of the seasons
work before us are well known to the city au-
thorties, and they are We believe, fully alive to
al it's necessities: Let the city be put in order.
The show-season has begun. Our great hotels, !
Soon to amply accommodate and daignt al yis-
ltors, will ea1ly begin to receive the rush Of |
those who come to see our rebuilt !
atty, to study It's future and take q |
hnnd in its destiny, It will be expensive sloven-
liness IT single day is lost in preparations and
progress OF the comparatively email amount Of
clea-ing up and clearing away SO necessary to
give full illustration and value to the work OF
last SEASON. The shovel brigade to the front !
Let horse and foot charge down upon the street
ta-r!cades left by our builders last year Give t
Us clean streets. and let us make ready for the
Z