Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-08-06
@rs SANITARY AGITATION,

city will this mel ming take up the question {
sanitary reform In Sacramento, with vie
to adopting some practical system to eompas
it. It is work requiring very much NOR
of courage than ability, for, strange as tina
J seem, there are citizens who axe content
live on in filth and unhealth and a. take th
chances. Those who have intimatea tina
the Trustees will act falteringly and in
| temporizing manner because vigorous action
may convert some shortsightsd people int
opponents at the polls, SANDER the officials
| They have far greater interests at stake thar
reside in any possible political prefermsnt, snC
have not shown disposition to expose the
psople 30 unnecessary risks. It may now be as
serted without fear of successful onsrsdichor
that the present condition of, and menace to
the city is unnecessary and may be greatly
remedied without great outlay. Certain il
ia that something must be done, and that
right speedily and thoroughly, and wholly
irrespective Of the possibility OF the coming
of the cholera. One should be rniserably
ashamed TO confess that be only clesnses hi.
dwelling because of the coming eusss.
whether welcome or not. The short-sighsed
end fearful souls who have seen fit to fine
fault with the course of this journal in advo,
eating the immediate application of stringent
sanitary measures for the puriGcstion Of the
town, and the keeping of it SO, hecause the
reputation Of the city may bs injured
By public agitation of the subject, should
hasten to some locality where the community
ives and thrives on reputation alone, snd ir.
respective of health, the first aud greatest ia
wealth. The present manifest public dispo-
sition to deal with nuissnces with ungloved
hands is one of the very strongest of induce
ments 90 make this city dwelling place. Il
IS the greatest mistake Ia the world TO sup
pose that any city can pursue the ostrich pol
icy and not be discovered. This community
is of too brosd intelligence this city one OF
too much wealth and industry, too great COM
mercial advantages, too many beautiful
homes, too bright future TO be given up TO
the greed of landlords, the neglect of tenants,
or the filth Of Chinatown. OF course is ia 6
dissgreea5le subject, but the wsy 70 dispose
of all such is to seizs them by the heard and
drag them to the sunlight. No "hush.up u
policy or secret agitation will answer. II
looks as If there might be involvement IN the
maslesi Of the law and the maZs Of conflicting
legal opinions as to the powers Of the author
itiss Ia plsnniDg remedial regulations. But
the authorities have ample power, and they
are willing to act, but like all officials, they
wiz be the better able to work needed re-.
desirable classes Of the people.
But some neY regulations and ordinances are
desirable, and 60 that end an ordinance has
been prepared by the Board Of Health, ard
is to-day to be submitted to the Trustees, az.
ter s9ms legal phrases and teohnicAlities
shall have bson adjusted and reformed to
answer the criticism of the lawyers. But
the life OF the ordinance must be preserved.
In some respects there are objections TO it as
prepared originally as, for instance, there
seems to be no method provided Tor register
ing toe cesspools on city premises and the
date OF their cleansing, 10 order 80 furnish the
health officers with data to determine whsn
the year begins and when it expires within
which the pits axe to be cleaned. Then, toe,
there should be q psr5mptOry mandate
requiring registry of all cesspools TO be
made, aud this might be done in a
brief tina by some one Of the present city
departments at slight cost, By this means
the authorities will become possessed, for the
first time, of the number and locality Of these
pools-a most material and desirable fact to
be ascsrtained. Again, there should be e
section requiring foul cesspools-if, indeed,
tshould not apply to all without exception
TO be cleansed, say, within the next forty
days, and thus We viii ba able to make new
departure throughout the city. For as it now
is, no Health Officer can ascertain what pools
are dangerous; many are so closed over and
pip=d that he cannot inspect them, nor can
he probably visit all the premises IL the city
for inspection IN half a year. Experience
has proved that the time to cleanse cess
pool ia before it becomes so foul that il invites
attention as o Nuisance. The clause, lin
thickiy settled districts" is obscure, mas
much 81 it viii always be matter Of
dispute IS to what ia and what is not g
thickly- settled district. La city built SO Is
this, il IS not advisable to make any distinc-
ton as so districts. Causes of cholera or con-
tagious fevers. or any other flth disease, are
Just ss dangerous TO "a" living in q thiniy-
settled district from "B.'s" neglected cess
pool next door, as to &C, who is poisoned
By ID 3" cesspool just beneath his window,
and "An is entitled to the same protection
against " B." that "C.h ia against the SLOW
enliness of "D." These are not captious
criticisms. As whole, the ordinance is an
excellent one, and under the charter should
be made capable Of effective work. lie there
is any serious doubt delegating authority to
the Board of Health, then the Trustees should
assert the law in their own right, and the
Beard OF Health can DO trusted TO use
It for enforcing sanitary regulations. We are
especially gratitied to notice that the vsntila-
ton of cssspools is TO be mRds imperative.
1t viii remove large measure OF the obJec-
ton to them, but the regulation should apply
to privy vaults also, ana section five should
have an sdded clause requiring all privies to
have large ventilati3g hues leading well up
into the upper sir, or to be Otherwise ventii-
ated, according TO approval of the Board
Of Health. This is fully as important as the
regulations regarding cesspoola. In conclu-
sion, it should be added that 80 far from this
subject having been unduly agitated here, il
has not been sufficiently 80, Tor has the real
situation been fully presented, but enough
HIS been stated TO warrant all that is proposed
TO be done and good deal more.