The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-04-11


for the establishment and regulation !
of fire company to lay and collect
taxes, to elect Recorder and a Mar
shall to make a report, at stated in
tervals, of the receipts and expendi-
lures Of the town to keep books and
proper accounts of all business trans-
acted to erect w0rk-house and
lookup to organize police force to
require owners Of property to con-
struct pavements; to supply water by
wells, pumps and otherwise to con-
struct sewers and to have the legal
power to enforce penalties for the vio-
lStion OF these regulations. " There are a
number of.other powers granted Of
less vital Importance than those enum-
Grated. The above are Charter
Rights and authorities, But in addi-
ton to these, and in furtherance OF
the authority conferred, are many
general provisions, under general
laws
shall coniine my recommendations
to those points upon which there is a
pressing need of prompt and imme-
date action. And foremost among
these is the necessity of taking imme-
date steps to put the town in
PROPER SANITARY CONDITION.
The power to abate nuisances
is conferred directly by the
charter. A nuisance is defn-
ed to be anything that worketh an
injury to another" In the general
laws OF municipal Corporations it is
made the duty of town officers "to
make regulations necessary to pre-
serve the health of the Municipality /;
to prevent and removenuisances with
in the same to prevent the introduce
ton Of contagious diseases in the
same to make quarantine laws and to
enforce the same, and such other po-
lice powers as may be necessary for
the general welfare" There is no
need of special alarm-bnt with chol-
era prevalent in many European
towns and cities, up to the cold wealth
er OF last fall-with a few sporadic
cases in ur own country-at New
York and st. Louis, the probability il
that it may spread, at least to
some extent, in this country on the
approach of hot weather. Situated
as we are, on the line of a great Trunk
line Railroad, the track running the
entire length of our town, it requires
but the passage of train laden with
n passenger sick from this terribl,
disease to infect the place. 1t should
be noted that cholera has q promoni
tory stage, in which the patient sui
fers from choleric diarrhea, very rare
ly distinguishable, by the sufferer
from ordinary disturbance of the di
gestive organs. Yet, through thi.
source whole neighborhoods are some
times infected, before its source car
be determined. Our town should b,
put into such a perfect state of clean
illness, that no foothold could be gain
ed by disease. AS cleanliness stand
next to Goodness, in the list of viz
5 tues, this precaution cannot but be o
, value in any event. With pure Al
from the mountains, and pure waite
springing out on every side of us
l without any source for malaria, blu
: our own carelessness, there ought t,
: be no danger OF an epidemic in on
midst; but good many cases of ty
: phoid fever in our town and vacinity
+ with other fevers and diseases, poin
!. to the fact, that there is some sourc
g of poison in our midst. Science ha
!, demonstrated that the excretions c
= the human system become poisonou
: us soon as thrown off A well. int
= which flowed the filtering of ces'
: pool, through at considerable di.
> lance away, proved to be the source {
V the typhoid fever that almost swel
away whole community. A celia
filled with cabbage, potatoes, pump
kins and turnips, which, in the courS
OF time, became somewhat decayet
q first took off the little children, thu
G lived in the rooms above-which wsl
e filled with the deadly gases, silent
/, working their way into every apar
, ment,-then the mother and FINAL
L. the father died. 1t was called dipth
e. ria-then typhoid-and it was eve
4 supposed to he caused by some myst
rious work of Providence-but aft,
all, it was found to be nothing bl
rotten cabbage and potatoes that poi
oned the whole family to deaf
PURE AIR AND. PURE WATER.
q These are we'll authenticated medic
- cases, and there is no better establis
ed fact, than that, to live and enjC
health, the highest blessing of life, v
must have pure air to breathe al
pure water to drink. With these fac
n. in mind, | cannot conceive of hig
er and more important duty devol
ing upon us than that of thorough
IL cleaning up and purifying eve
On street, alley, back lot, privy, pig pc
n stable and every hole and corner
W. our town, or of compelling the owne
= to have the same done. The result
10 dirt and filth do not fall alone on i
m author of the carelessness. On t
ay same street and perhaps side by 81
m live two families one house and lot
= kept neat and clean-no sign of a
~ impurities is to be found. His ne
| door neighbor is just the opposi
ce Decayed vegetables, dish-water, dir
wash-water and all the refuse a
les waste OF a badly kept kitchen a
ne house are either thrown out or left
te. stand around the place. The res
ne is, that the whole neighborhood
us poisoned by the efuvia arising fro
We the nuisance kept and maintain
ed about this house. Diphtheria, feye
Ire smallpox and perhaps even cholt
on will find here u seed bed in viii
M they can grow up, and flourish I
10 guilty persons child may debut
en- neighbor's is just as likely to. L
rV- ease is snrpad evervwhara-int