New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-13
nrP DIRTY STREETS.


New-Yorkers who have been spending the
summer in Europe are now returning home.
Every steamer coming in discharges scores OF
them. They all come back, We are bound to
believe. with increased affection for the me-
tropolis. 1t suits them, everything considered,
much better than any of the cities on the other
side. "New-York is good enough for me-" Is
the exclamation which springs to their tongues
and is echoed in all their hearts But, although
this is so, a comparison is forced upon them
as soon as they arrive which is infinitely to the
disadvantage of this metropolis of ours in very
important particular. We believe that nine out
of ten of these transatlantic travellers, If asked
what it was that first struck them on getting
back to town. would reply: "The abominable
condition of the streets" A party of four of
them, who recently reached home after a few
months soiourn abroad were driven TO their
residence in the upper part of the island by way
of Seventh-ave. And they all with one accord
declared that the sight of it as they went along
quite took their breath away, it was so dis
gracefully dirty. Nevertheless, as we all know
Seventh-ave. is by no means the drtiest thor
oughfare in the city. Scores Of streets could
be mentioned in comparison with which Seventh
ave. is miracle of cleanliness. If these people
had remained on this side of the water all sum-
mer it is likely that they would not have realized
certainly not so acutely, how very dirty Seventh
ave. was Yet as they passed through it last
week they could not but contrast it's condition
with that Of the streets of Paris, of Munich, of
Amsterdam, and of dozen other Continental
cities.
Well. all this is chapter of the old story.
But it is the plain duty of every philosophical
citizen to CRY and spare not until New-York gets
what she il entitled to and what her taxpayers
pay so generously for-clean streets. No SEN
Sible man for one moment doubts that If our
city authorities We're honestly bent upon max
ing and keeping The metropolis clean they could
readily do 80. Why not? Certainly the street
cleaning problem is no more difficult of solu-
ton here than it is in the European citjeS re-
gerred to. The trouble is that Tammany Hall
is determined TO keep the streets in politics
that it approaches the STRENGTHENING problem
primarily from the point Of view of politics ;
that It would rather have the streets remain
until the end of time whathhey are to-day-a
disgrace to civilization an indictment of the
public spirit Of our people menace of their
health, handicap on their prosperty-rather
than see them put and kept in perfect condition
in pursuance of any system however admirable
from which politics was divorced, and out OF
which, therefore, Tammany could not get a
diyy."
The chairman of the Committee on Street
Cleaning Of the Ladies Health Protective Asso-
citation in n recent letter 10 THE TRIBUNE
stated that the propnety of holding "a citizens
mass meeting at an early day in the Interest
Of street-cleaning reform was under discussion
BY all means let such meeting be held The
people want to know what the Mayor and those
associated with him in the government Of the
| city think Of and are going TO co about thC