The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-06-18

carried trade is kept at stand by injurious
uncertainty.
Mr. Woods Tariff bill is proved to have
been a miscalculation by his inability TO
carry it. 1t checked foreign trade for five
or six months in the expectation of lower
duties, and then fell fiat under an adverse
vote of the House. 1t is one of the things
which should never have been attempted
without a reasonable assurance of success.
1t was mistimed, because there was already
a necessary element Of uncertainty which
affected general business. We refer to
the currency question, which did not
admit of postponement The time liked
by law for resumption is so near
that this subject could not be evaded, and
when this great element Of uncertainty
could not be escaped it was an error to per-
pick the business community by introduce
ing another disturbing question. It would
have been wiser to settle the currency at
this session and postpone changes IN the
tariff and the internal revenue laws until
after the resumption of specie payments.
One element of distraction and uncertainty
is enough at one time. Attempts at tarlf
reform and internal revenue reform
should have been postponed until after re-
sumption, the other great element Of bust
ness uncertainty, had been securely. Mt
tanned The tariff reformers and internal
revenue reformers should be convinced by
their utter failure that their efforts were pre-
mature. If they had had the prudence to
postpone these questions they would have
saved themselves from great deal OF nortl-
fication and misdirected effort, and the
country from a needless disturbance OF
business calculations.
Filthy Streets md the Public Health.
Our contemporary, the Times, has taken
the pains to make q careful survey OF the
streets, and finds them to be in most filthy
condition. It's description of one quarter
of the city is, it declares, fair specimen of
the whole after leaving 'the middle line Of
the island" with the exception Of a few
streets, such as Fourteenth, Twenty-third,
Thirty-fourth and some others, up as high
as Fifty-ninth street. ''Series of irregular
basins of filth" are found, owing to the bad
the gutter troughs, from the lack of the
proper inclination, fail to carry off the water
that collects N them. At all points the
interstices between the cobble stones are
packed with garbage to the extent of at
least cubic foot to the square yard. This
estimate, with from six to eight stagnant
pools to the block, to say nothing OF old
boots, cabbage leaves, fermenting heaps of
vegetable refuse and overturned garbage
barrels, may be considered as fairly stating
the condition Of the streets yesterday (Sun-
day), although no rain had fallen for about
forty-eight hours. In the cutters the solu-
ton Of filth had already turned green and
shiny" As the Times is politically friendly
to the Police Commission its description is
not likely to be exaggerated.
If the city is to DO spared pestilence
this year no thanks will be due to the street
cleaning authorities. When the legislative
session commenced and the people de-
manded that the streets should be cleaned
for the large amount of money expended for
that purpose the bureau made spasmodic
pretence of activity. Meetings of the Police
Board were held, at which "systems were
discussed and the farce Of inviting bids for
doing the work by contract was enacted.
No sensible person doubted that all this
seeming activity was mere sham, designed
to prevent any transfer of the street clean
ing business to other hands. The Legisla-
ture was urged to pass the bill submitted
by the Council of Municipal Reform, but
neglected to do 50, and, as was predicted,
the close of the session is the signal for a
return to the shameful neglect for which the
present Street Cleaning Bureau has become
notorious. Notwithstanding the present
disgraceful and dangerous condition Of the
streets, the full amount Of the large appro-
priation for the month of May has been
drawn out OF the city treasury and squan-
dered by the department.
We are likely to have hot summer, and
filthy streets and rotting garbage are peril
Gus to the public health We can hope for
no protection from the street cleaning au-
thorities. Indeed, they are an evil rather
than q benefit. In some of the uptown
streets, such rs Sixtieth street, the resi-
dents, besides paying their taxes, hire n
private contractor Mt n charge of ten dollars
n year for each house, to clean the street.
But when the employees of the department
gather the ashes and garbage they dump
them 80 carclessly rs to scatter them over
the road and spoil the contractors labors
On such streets the city sweepers are never
seen. Now, what arc the citizens going TO
do about it? There is evidently only one
way to escape from the evils Of filthy streets,
Incorporated public moneys and threat
ened pestilence 1t lies through the Grand
Jury room into tho criminal courts,
before which the law defying Aldermen and
the incapable Board of Health have been
called upon to plead to indictments.
Se In, Pa