The Portland daily press., 1879-10-30
The Rack Raw Nuisance.

Mr.. Editor.-After making the extended re-
port on certain unsanitary conditions in the
city, it would hardly have been seemly for
either member of the commission to immedi-
ately request the attention OF the public to his
views on hygiene, unless in defence OF state
ments or recommendations presented in the
report The only adverse criticism, however,
which we have seen in the papers related to
date, mentioned on the authority Of Mr.. Put
nam, who was Mayor at the time named, and
of Mr.. Goodwin, the City Engineer-presum-
ably competent sources of information on the
question involved.
No attempt at reply was made, as the matter
was entirely unimportant, and for the further
reason that the communication anonymous.
But so long time has now elapsed since the
publication of the report, and so complete
silence on the subject has been observed until
to-day that L trust it may not be regarded as
improper if say few more words in the same
direction, especially in enforcement of the very
timely article of Mr. Strout in yesterday morn
ings paper.
1t is not violent assumption to interpret the
reception which the commissions report met
with as an admission of the truth of its repre-
sentations, and a recognition, in the main, of
the propriety of its recommendations. Every
sderation, many prominent citizens had made
up their minds that their bodies and estates
were involved in the proper settlement of the
questions, and the Mayor, intelligently alive to
the Importance OF sanitary work, initiated the
movement in the right direction by endeavor-
ing to ascertain the causes of the alleged diff
culties. If there was anything in the report to
create dissatisfaction or to arouse dissent among
the people, it certainly would have been made
the point of attack by plenty of trenchant
ic fO
any spirit of self-complacency, for, as was
stated at the time, the ideas set forth were
simply those which any person who was famil-
lar with sanitary laws would be obliged to
advance; but simply to show that there was no
disagreement among those most concerned as
to the necessity of doing substantially what the
commission advised. This being the case, the
question naturally arises, why has nothing been
done? The work of the commissioners was
finished long ago, and time enough has gone
by to settle upon some method of removing the
trouble SO much complained of in the summer,
but we see in the reports of City Government
meetings no allusion to the subject and are left
to conclude that it has dropped completely out
surely, is not as it should be. A general ex-
preston of desire on the part of the citizens
deserves at least some official recognition from
the boards which they have created to carry
out their lawful purposes. Such recognition is
displayed when the matter concerns the burn
the Fourth of July; how much more
promptly should it, be shown in an
affair, not of sentiment, but of sound
sense and self-interest. The city government
perhaps is hesitating to move in the fear that
the taxpayers of Portland will not approve
the expenditure of the money required to con-
struct necessary sanitary improvements LII
that is the case, let the citizens memorlallze
the authorities on the subject and sanction
any needed outlay. That thousands of names
ba ON, pptitiOn in a week
not be doubted for the nuisances have caused
SO much sickness, discomfort and death, and
are already threatening such a depreciation OF
property, that every intelligent person sees
that it is wasteful of all that is precious to
allow such baneful agencies longer to continue
in our midst, and that true economy demands
their speedy removal, even though the bill OF
expense be for a time a burden. The govern
ment very wisely tries to keep its expenditures
at as low figure as possible consistently with
the welfare Of the city; and believe it simply
needs to thoroughly understand that sanitary
improvements are imperatively demanded by
the people who pay the bills, before entering
upon the work required. 1t will not be diff
cult to make that point clear, if we make a
vigorous and persistent effort. If the attempt
is made and proves to be fruitless, there would
seem to be no redress until the municipal
election in March, when body Of men can
be elected on platform of sanitation, in
structed to execute the peoples will.
A great deal of valuable time has been lost
this fall which might have been spent in, at
least, beginning some sewerage work; but the
season for outdoor labor is not yet quite past,
and there is certainly time to make the pre-
liminary surveys and to lay out the ground.
At all events, the plans should be perfected
before spring opens, and, at the earliest posi-
BILE moment in 1880, the prevention of a repeti-
ton of our old nusances should be undertaken.
Hot weather is rot favorable for the removal
or disturbance of large accumulations of filth;
and we have right to insist upon an ex-
emption from such trials as the last half dozen
summers have brought us.
In saying these things, 1 feel that am sim
ply expressing the views of large part of the
Intelligent citizens of Portland personally I
have no more interest in the matter than any
man has who values his life and health, and
those of his friends, and the prosperity of his
city. f. III. G.