National Republican., 1873-06-03
THE ur,Iru or Tur p,srrrcr

The Board Of Health has been subjected to
many criticisms regarding its management,
none Of which, however, have so seriously
operated to prevent satisfactory execution
OF its duties a. other circumstances which
have interposed TO delay the realization Of Its
desires and the accomplishment Of lts most
determined purposes. The magnitude Of
these duties is simply overwhelming. Our
business men, our transient population, and
our visitors who sec the District, II they see
u at all, as represented by our avenues and
other public thoroughfares, have no idea Of
the coutagion-breeding and infectious cess
pools which border their daily walks, or OF
the labor which h required to prevent their
Increase. Tho physical well-belng Of the
President, the Cabinet, the thousands Of Gov
crnment officers Of the civil service, as well
as the army and navy, strangers from every
section Of the country and the world, the
diplomatic corps, and the permanent resi-
dents Of tho District, depends upon the sue
cess Of the board In overcoming those mani.
fold dangers. With these facts ln view, Con-
gress has endowed the board with unllm
tied power to declare anything nuisance
which It shall deem to be injurious to health
and to order the Immediate abatement thereof.
Il rosts with the courts and the Legislature,
however, TO provide means for the execution
Of these orders, and right here the greatest
difficulties, owing to pernlclouS political In.
1uences, are encountered. In other cities
the sanitary condition Of the streets is placed
under the control Of the health boards, as
we'll as tho duty OF providing aud exec uting
proper method for the removal Of offal,
nlght-soil and similar nulsances which even
m unprofesslonal will declare TO he injurious
10 health. Several bills are now pending In
the Legislature, the objects Of which arc TO
provide for the more thorough execution Of
the vital work which the board has In hand.
They are the Joint production Of acting health
otilccr Bliss and Professor J. ". Langston.
In their preparation tho gentlemen named
have utilized the experience Of tho boards Of
health In all the great cities Of the country,
as well as the results Of tbd,r late tour
Of inspection to New York, Philadelphia,
Boston and elsewhere. Having examined
them carefully, we do not hesitate to In
dorse them aA economical, judicious and
comprehensive. Unfortunately, this Ia q sub
ject which ls novel to tho minds Of most Of
our people, and OF course to our Legislators.
Nevertheless wo sincerely believe that II will
bo treated with all the gravity that our
pressing needs demand. When they receive
the attention Of the several committees which
have them In charge we hope the members
thereof will remember that not only the
health Of the officers Of the Government and
others, ln whose physical welfare the nation
aud the world at large Ia interested, l. at
stake, but the lives Of their own families de-
pend upon their action, Our city Is fast as
sunLng the reputation for progress which as
the capital OF great and progressive nation
1t deserves, and II would be shameful In
deed II we failed to adopt vital sanitary
precautions commensurate with our other
modern improvements. II Ia true that we
have been healthy as q rule, but not so much
so as We oughttobe, and the enactment of the
pending bills would enable the board to re-
ducc the dcath-rate thirty Tcr cent. Look to
II, Mr.. Legislators.