Daily Republican., 1881-04-20
Cur Filthy Streets.

SWE AAAshy SAAVStS.
An article In yesterdays REPuBLE- |
CAN shows the wretched filthy Cordi-
tiun Of many of the streets, alleys and
cutters iG the eastern part OF the city
and if cur reporter had visited other
sections he would no doubt have found
the same condition of affairs to exist. II
is blistering shame on the city author
itieS 70 permit the streets and alleys to
hecone so filthy that disease is engen
dered and numbers Gle from small pox
and tvphus that might he saved il pro-
per cleanliness had been observed. II
is true that the winter was so severe as
to prevent keeping the streets clear OF
rubbish and garbage as they should
have heen, but with the first dawning
OF spring, and the disappearance of
snow, hundreds Of city scavenGerS
should have been employed so rid the
streets and alleys Of garbage and filth
that had collected during the winter.
There can be no donbt that the spread
Of small po1 and typhuS in the eastern
part Of ,he city is owing in great |
measure to the poisonous gaseous odorS
emanating from rotten and decayed
vegetable matter which has been per-
mitted TO lie, tester and rot in the
streets. Whose fault is this Clearly
the taut of the city authorities. Gar
bagc men are employed to remove the
garbage. but it seems according to the
reports from the citizens along both
sides " the Brandywine, the section
visited by our reporter yesterday that
the garbage contractors are only regular
and punctual in drawing their salaries
while the garbage is neglected. Appeal
after appeal has been made to these i'm
portant functionaries and to the body
that employed them but the appeals
have been answered with cIrel neglect
which is now producing terrible har-
vest of disease and death. Refuse cab
bage leaves, turnips, bones, offal Of all
descriptions which will naturally gather
have been put in barrels TO await the
coming of the garbage cart, but when
it failed to put in an appearance the
sickering, fostering mass has been
thrown into the middle of the streets
and the foul odors have arisen and filled
every Granny, corner and oreyice of
the tenement houses at the best lily
provided with health preserving attach
ments. The fault for this startling CON
dition Of affairs as we have already |
said is with the city authorities. When
they pretended they had no money to
spare for street cleaning, and to pre-
rye the health OF the city, they had
bme 500 to spend in dining and de-
bauching the members Of the Leeisla-
tuce.
Instead Of having the garbage and
filth Of the city removed asISoon as the
the spring began to opcE, they spent
the CitEs money in -loyrolinG, paying
Cs6es and boarding li.is at Dover while
log rolling and lobbying TO have OBJ
jertionable partisan bills passed that
would keep the party III power that
has already so badly abused their
power. The passage Of the Eleventh
Ward bill was Of more consequence
than cleaning the streets and alleys OF {
filthy garbage to prevent the spread of I
and typhoid fever. 1t was t
more important that the term of the L
Democratic administration of Whining Il
ton should be extended ten months, '
than that the money spent in gettiug it Il
expended should have been spent in a
the streets and removing the a
garbage, Smallpox was of no account h
with the change of the fiscal v
year which gave the city government Il
$50, go more to spend and added that o
much more to the permanent debt Of the /
city. Typhus fever could not measure =
in Importance with ten months more Of y
Democratic city government that the d
people would have repudiatcd had they |
been given the usual opportunity. The u
fixing OF the Siza of Voters ballots, was Il
Of vastly more importance than the V
prevention OF diptheria, and agreeing G.
apon some mole of punishment for in
1uencing voters outweiShed the triting
Importance Of health and cleanliness il
The energetic reporter of1he REPUB- |.
.ICAN found half dozen decrepit old :,
men at work Scrtpng this filth up in Il
piles only 10 lie and foster until it suits t,
The pleasure Of the garbage or ash cart s.
men TO cone around and cart il
away, which will probably be after it
mas festtred and spread its foul odors
eround and cn@"ndrred more diseases.
There should be huuIreIs Of men at -
work, and til" same number Of carts if \
necessary that the city may ba clcansed d
lHd put in prop sanitary order What :,
are a few hundred dollars compared q
with all Abatement Of the terrible dis q
Ease Of sInail-poy and typhoid fever e..
Though the past cannot be recalled they
have the present to deal with, and the
future hangs with veighty Importance
upon the present. The lives aud health
of our citizens outweigh the cNpendi- A
ture Of a few hundred dollars e
--. IL
Coz NTY Treasurer Herbert \ account tt
after being counted up and balanced Ii
show the total receipts for the fiscal g
year TO be F234, }03O5 and the expendi- Of
lures to he S346, ,223.O OS. The excess of 9, &C