New-York tribune., 1890-01-18
orr \EU BEOON.

OUR NEU BhOOM.
Mayor Grant has appointed to succeed Mr..
Coleman as Commissioner of the street clean
ing Department man whom we suppose 10
be as we'll qualified to discharge the labonous
and difficult duties of that office as any one
who could have been induced to undertake
them The Mayor is entitled to hearty com
mcndation. There was some Apprehension
lest. after two diSappontmcntS, he should fall
back on a Tammany shoutcr and it has even
been charged that it was his original purpose
70 make n demonstration of public spirit by
altering the place to men who were certain to
decline it. and then to turn 1t over to the
snoilsmcn. THE TRIBUNE never credited this
charge. and those who made it owe the Mayor
an apology.
Though there never was a time when an
enviable distinction would not have been con
fcrrcd upon the man who had succeeded III
showing the inhabitants of this city what clean
streets really look like, we cannot wonder
that. at this juncture, reputable citizens should
shrink from undertaking the work. / or many
years a majority of the people labored under
the impression that they were about as well OIL
in this particular as most OF the world but
travel reading and other means OF information
and comparison have recently produced gen
eral comprehension of the egrcgiouS evils TO
which we are subjected and the new Commits
sioner is probably aware that more IS demand
cd of him than was demanded of his predcces-
sorS. If there were no unnecessary obstacles
in his way he might well rejoice al the oppor-
tunity intru>ted to him but under existing
circumstances, we suspect that he accepts his
task with some anxiety and miSgiying The
salary is not large, and we believe that there
are few, if any, legitimate pcrqulNltcS' while
the work is heavy, the facilities are imperfect
and the hindranccs many.
Mr.. Looms is civil engineer of good repute
and long experience. He has served the city
for fifteen wears in important. though Subor-
dinatc. places. and has always possessed the
confidence of his SupcriorS in Office and OF his
professional brethren. He is familiar with
public work on a large scale, and may fairly
be assumed to have at the outset pretty
good understanding of what his new occupation
involves But his first and most vauabl" quaI
ifcation is that he is not politician. lie Is a
Democrat and to that we have no objection.
He is not a member of Tammany Hall and Of
that we are very glad. II is TO be hoped that
neither his acceptance Of Office at the hands
of AIavOr Grant nor any other consideration
will induce him TO join that organizations lie
has lived in honor and cOntcntmcnt hitherto
without factional affiliations and it IS TO the
interest of the public that he should remain
politically obscure.
If we were asked to enunciatc the theory on
which Commissioner LoomS ought, in our
opinion. to conduct the practical operations Of
his Department, we should quote the remark
Of a contractor who is employed by some OF
our merchants and who recently said The
way to keep the streets of Ncw-l ork clean Is
not to let them get dirty" That we believe,
is the key 20 the problem. il is the way in
which every good houSekccpcr preserves clean
illness and order under her own roof, and it
can be applied with equal satisfaction on Il
large scale and "A small. II is, for instance the
means by which the city Of London proper IS
made 50 conspicuous and admirable an cX-
ample of what il IS possible to do with cty
streets The initial task Of cleaning New
+, York, in order that il may thereafter be kept
| clean is one which nobody need envy Com
missioner Loomis. 1t will doubtless remind
him of the immortal feat performed in the
Augcan stables. We have two fine rivers close
at hand. but unhappily, Mr.. LoomiS cannot
| make such heroic use Of them as Hercules made
of the AlphcuS and pcncus. Moreover, he is
hampcrcd by obstacles which that exemplary
scavcngcr would have found extremely awk-
ward. However, we take pleasure in b"StOw-
, ing our confidence upon Mr.. LoomiS in ad-
vance, with the assurance that it will continue
so long as he deserves it,