Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-03-07
A Good Precedent.

a UOUu ICCCutHts
While the President Of the
United States was one of Buffalo S
chest mayors, a public well was ex-
amined, the water analyzed by expert
chemists and the city council, at the
instance Of the board Of health, de-
clared it a public nuisance. Within
few weeks, the same body ordered a
new pump placed over the well, SO
inviting its use. Mayor Cleveland
promptly vetoed the order for the
following reasons, every one of which
will apply to the abolition of that
other public nuisance. the licensed
liquor traffic. He says in his veto
message, "The action of your honor
able body, in inviting the people to
drink the water of this well, can, it
seems to me only be justified upon
one of four grounds, viz:
First.-A good deal of nastiness
and contamination in the water fur
nishei our citizens to drink is not OBJ
jectionable.
No one, think, has the hardihood
to advance this theory. And fthere
is in the mind of any one the idea
that it is not necessary to supply the
poor and laboring people in the vi
cinity Of this well with water as pure
and healthful as that furnished TO
their richer and more pretentious fel
low-citizens, | desire TO say that |
have no sympathy with such no
ton. On the contrary, | believe
that the poor who toll should of all
others have access to what nature in
tended for their whole
some and pure water.
Second.-A chemical ANALYSIS does
not furnish the proof upon which we
may safelvlact in FdetermiKing the
quality of the water in this well.
| should be sorry to think that
there is any disposition to bellttle or
distrust a science so well advanced as
chemistry, and one upon which are
constantly based determinations af-
fecting the most important interests
and rights, and which is so often ap-
pealed to in courts OF justice when hu-
man life is at stake.
Third.-The analysis presented of
the condition of the water in this
we'll is not entitled to our entire con-
fdence.
The standing and ability Of the
expert who furnished the analysis,
and his knowledge of the branch Of
science to which he has devoted
himself, are certainly unimpeached
and | think nnimpeachable. Be
sides. the results at which he has
arrived with regard to some of the
wells which he examined have been
endorsed and confirmed by another
competent chemist.
Fourth. any of the people liv-
ing in the vicinity of this well insist
upon drinking its impure water they
should be permitted to do SO.
This doctrine, if carried to its lie
gitimate conclusion, would leave so
little of sanitary supervision to be
exercised by boards OF health that
they might well be abolished.
Nv belief is that the citizen should
be allowed great freedom in matters
pertaining to himself as an individ
ual. And yet this freedom should
be no more than is consistent with
the ends and purposes of a just and
useful government and there is no
place in this enlightened age for the
proposition that the authorities of
city may maintain an unwholesome
public we'll, known to be such, even
though the people are willing to
take the risk to life and health in
the use of the water.
1t is not unnatural that the clos
ing of well that has been so lohg in
use should give rise to dissatistac-
ton and clamor: but when we are
clearly in the path of public duty as
in the present case, it seems to me
we should not yield. We can well
afford to wait for the cooler second
thought which will approve our
course.