Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-07-05
LANCASTER, PA, July S, 1889.
Two Questions.

The select aud common councils diff
fercd In their Judgment of several matters
at their last meeting two of them
being questions Of sidewalk stands and
Board Of Health appropriation. The
select council was against the appropria-
ton and against the stands.
As to the Board of Health, we confess
that we do not have a very decided
opinion i'm favor of its utility. We should
like to think il good thing, because IL
is 80 theoretically. 1t is good thing TO
have clean city and 10 be fortified
against epidemics. But experience tells
uR that our Board of Health is not worth
eNUcntinental' for any such beneficence.
|, It's nearly as useless as the Board of
Trade. We think that we have come to
have a prejudice against Boards of all
kinds. They do SO very little and talk
10 very big and are 80 dreadfully cxpen
Awe. Ofcourse we know that nothing can
be done without money, but we would
hke,te see a better chance of getting the
worth of our money than We do when
we send II out to our Board Of Health
which may in mistaken energy cause us
may do; and may not get wisdom with
its appropriation. Still il is only five
hundred dollars and probably il will
be well TO give il 10 this board for this
year to see what it will do with il. so
in this proposition we go with the COM
mon council, with hesitation.
But on the other, we are with select
mi 1, hup ,,,ly 4 lot
II is crying outrage that the sidewalks
of this town should bc numbered as they
are with oil sorts Of stands, signs and
obstructions, so that their supposed use
as places of passage js likely to be
lost sight of In their appropriation
for merchandise use There is no reason
for such use, and IL 1t was not
permitted to one man II would not bc
demanded by another. And it il par
ticularly shameful that the city govern
ment should 80 long have set an cx-
ample Of pavement obstruction to the
citizens by renting out the privileges Of
stands alongside the City hall. We en-
tirely fail to comprehend the character
of the official mind that would consent
to such public wrong 70 the sake of the
few dollars that will be gained 10 the
public treasury.
Surely none will deny that the side
walks are for purposes of passage, ard
that they should he left as free as possi-
bic for such use. The temporary deposit
Of merchants goods may bc permitted
when unavoidable, but otherwise there
should he nothing permitted upon the
sidewalk from the house line To the
gutter I'm business streets, or from the
door-steps In residence streets. The
awnings that drop their water with
aim unconcerD upon the heads of the
p pisser-by or knock his hat oil when they
are carelessly hung low enough; the
overhead signs and the standing adyer-
tising boards and show eases, should
be swept away. And of course, tile
sidewalk stand should go. Mr..
oiddIe's resolution in select council
.as broad enough 20 include them ALL
although it seemed to be aimed
only at the City hail stands.
But like reason will forbid them
all. One vender should moi be allowed
greater street privileges than another
any more than one property holder
should be permitted TO rent away his
sidewalk when another may not. OBJ
viously II would not do to let every
store extend its vending tables over
more than half the sidewalk
and should then the privilege be per-
mitted to anyone? There Is an enter
prising fruit vender, for instance, at
North Queen and Orange streets who
does thriving business by leaving
occasionally three or four feet
passage way To he shared be
tween his customers and the passers
hy. We have nomalicc against him and
eheerfully yield our own convenience
to his business when we pass by. We
wish him success and respect his energy; ;
but 1t is clearly contrary to public policy
and an imposition upon a patient
community, tn suffer such a street OBJ
struction. The sidewalks should be
Clear.