The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-08-22
LET US NOT WEARY OF WELL
DOING.

Tho processes of disinfecting the
city, now progressive, will probably
prevent much sickness OF every kind
and character. But when ''the big
scare" subsidies, city fathers and doc
tors may lspse into their old habits OF
remissness, and, no two men agreeing
about a mode of cleansing the town,
nothing will be done. A patent earth
closet fellow, insisting that everybody
should be forced to buy his machines,
prevented the draining of city
through series of years. Meanwhile
it was utterly bankrupted by thieves,
who, making common property of ev-
erything everybody else owned, might
have been properly called 'commun-
ists." But our purpose was to say that
our illustrious rulers should not weary
in we'll doing, and when the 'blg
scare" subsidies thissdevotion to the
public veal should not subside. The
mayor has urged the aldermen for
months past, and long before yellow
fever knocked at the portals of wealth
and poverty in New Orleans, to in
augurate a system of underground
drainage on the Avenue and Pecan
streets. These central drains need on
ly be large enough to carry to the
river that waste water which should
not be exposed to the action of the
SUMS rays. Rainstorms falling
on clean streets and cutters would do
no detriment to public health. On the
contrary, the earth's surface needs this
expurgation, and such is the perfect
natural drainage Of Austin, that un-
playground sewers need not be made
to contain the vast volumes of water
often suddenly projected from steep
hillsides into our broad thoroughfares.
---~our city council should neither weary
in we'll doing nor go mad. There is
reason, or should be, and proper mod
Grafton in all things. There are half
dozen zealots completely beside them
selves about the streets. They produce
vaporings enough to generate plague.
The city will be fortunate if such exces-
sive zeal does not become stupid obsti-
macy when it is at last proposed to levy
n tax to build sewers. Then the busy
bodies and noisy brawlers about
purity Of persons and of houses and OF
streets and lanes, if they be taxpayers,
will crawl into their holes and pull the
holes in after them. Let us all as one
man devote ourselves TO the purpose
of seeing that their zeal for cleanliness
to. day, which costs them nothing, does
not subside when the fever is no more,
and when we can make. without en-
dangerlng public health, an excavation
even from Capitol bill to the Colorado.
2 In illustration of the absurd folly OF
people, when no danger is immediate,
we see it stated that the people Of
Memphis, to escape from contact with
death, paid one of five railroads enter
ing that city $50, 900 within four days
II this money, thus wasted, had beer
expended when there was no plague
!, threstening the city, in draining iti
malarial districts, the fever would have
been shorn of its terrors and found nc
sustenance in the air inhaled by the
wretched population of the plague
smitten metropolis. The very people
who spent $780, 900 in flying from
Memphis would have revolted siA
months ago If the city's rulers hsd
been wise enough to expend half this
sum in expurgating and draining
streets and alleys.