The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-06-21

Few Suggestions for Those Interested.
It seems to us there are a thousand and
one bad smells to greet one who journeys
about the city, especially in the vicinity
Of that celebrated ally next west of Com
mercial street. 1t is almost like s'run.
ming the gauntlett"as described in the old
Indian stories, to go from Commercial
TO Merchants street on either side of Fifth
or Sixth. There may be other walks
equally as disagreeable, but we doubt it.
The only thing on earth that we know of,
that exeels this locality in the conditions
which excite the dispersion to use sspro-
fame literature" is trip across the lovely
Cottonwood bottom. These localities
have Been an ofense for at least three
summers, and there has been no move to
remedy the matter, as we now remember,
but the feeble attempt In the city council
few weeks ago. We have seemed to
proceed on the idea each summer, that
that particular year was to be a''drouth,"
when these Internal stinks would not
send up their thousand nauseating smells
to disgust us and endanger the public
health; whereas, the rain has come down
without stint, aud each year these STINK
holes have grown worse. They are an
ever present, unmitIgated, unpardona-
BILE nuisance, and a stigma on our boosted
enterprise. We have wondered that the
whole town was not struck with some fell
pestilence, and yet we go on from year to
year. We are, as community, like the
celebrated Arkansan: when it Is dry these
pest holes do not need draining, ana when
1t Is wet, we can't drain them. We won
der sometimes If this thing is to last yet
for twenty or thirty years, and if the
public is to pass through them, and be
offended by them for that length of time.
From present indications we judge they
are. When John Watson was elected
Mayor we thought he was going to get up
his back and have something done. "a
blast from his bugle horn' in his inaagu-
raj seems to have exhausted his powder
on this. Major Fuller, at the request of
the city council, showed how the section
that needs drainage most, could be easily
made dry and decent, and the only thing
that surprised US was that the council
did not get mad, roll up their official
sleeves and order it done at once. Gen.
tlemen, in the name Of suffering humani-
ty, will you please proceed 10 relieve us
Of those disagreeable mud and pest holes
There is another odoriferous matter to
which we wish to aIlude while on this
subject, and that Is the foul cellars about
the city-cellars full of sinking water
and mud, which are not only a public
nuisance, but are dangerous to public
health. The doctors tell us they are reg
ular breeders of the worst forms of disease.
We should advise the occupants of resi-
! dences and business houses to leave every
building which stands over one of these
miserable pest holes, and to refuse to rent
one of them until fixed, were the city
not so crowded that they are obliged to BIZ
used. For years landlords have been col.
Letting and pocketing good rents for such
places, ana some Of said landlords even
refuse to have the nasty water pumped
out of their cellars. Take THE NEWS
block, for instance, building which has
| twice paid its value in rents since it,
erection, and yet there has been a stink.
ing cellar under it q large portion of ths
season which has been an sbomination t.
| every man, woman and child who has Il
visit 1t on business, and the owner hal
the unbounded cheek to ask the tenants
to pay for pumping the water out of it
Now, If 1t is in the power OF the city
council to do so, we believe it is its plair
duty to declare every one of these nasty
cellars public nuisance, and to proceed
at once to abste them as such.
We talk in plain terms because thest
matters have simply become public out
RACES. The outhouses provided for hui
ma4ity by some of these landlords would
disgrace hog pen, but the council hai
taken that matter IN hand and there prom
ises to be slight reform.
1t is time to wake up and clean up be
fore the town is stricken with some dis
ease which shall deVastate many OF oul
| knnnos