St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-13
With BOTH FEET
The Chamber Of Commerce
/. Jumps on the City's
Sanitary State.
Practically No Cleaning Up
Done in Fourteen Months
Past.
The Demand for Improve
ment Is General and
Outspoken.
A Move Made to Proceed
With the Library
Scheme.

airy precautions in view of the menacing
cholera epidemic. AT the regular meet
ing yesterday of the chamber the COM
mttee that had been delegated to in
quire into the matter of sanitation,
together with the alleged activity of the
"retrenchment and reform" administra-
ton i'll the premises, submitted scath-
ing report. 1t is a caustic rebuke. and
should be pasted in the hat of every ''re-
form' official. 1t reads:
Gentlemen: In obedience to the reso-
luton OF the chamber inStructing your
committee on health and sanitation to
confer with the proper city authorities
IN view of the presence of cholera in
Europe, and of its possible appearance
in this city. and urge upon them the
necessity of absolute cleanliness in all
| parts OF the city,and of such precaution-
airy measures as prudence may dictate"
your committee begs to submit the fol-
| lowing report:
Said committee was represented at
the meeting Of the joint committee on
| garbage, Sept. 3. and at the meeting of
the board OF aldermen when the mayors
request for the appropriation of 5000
Tor cleaning the streets was favorabIy
| considered by said board, and defeated
in the assembly on Sept. 8. Conferences
| have also been had with the commits
act without the concurrence of the
council. The records in the city clerk S
o11ce reveal the most curious, fruitless
and weariSome history of local legisla-
| ton pertaining to the life and health of
| our population that we'll can be imag-
| lned or conceived.
The plant of the AZotine Manufacture
ing company was destroyed by fire in
| March, 1881, about eighteen months ago.
| On July z, 1891, the commissioner of
| health sent communication to the
| council to the effect that the contract
| between company and the city for the
collection of garbage had expired, and
| that the gravity of the situation de-
| manded immediate action by the coun-
| Gil. and on July 81, 1891, the city clerk
| was Instructed to advertise for bids.
| Said bids were presented to the assem-
bly, on Aug. II. and were rejected, the
] clerk being instructed to advertise
| second time.
| The matter was by this action prac-
tlcally shelved for six months, but bids
were again finally presented to the as
| sembly on Feb. %, 1892, and the joint
committee, On garbage recommended
award of contract to Nick Feyen as the
lowest responsible bidder, but the
measure was again defeated in the as
sembly by the rejection of all bids and
the indefinite postpOnement of the
whole matter.
April IL the city clerk was instructed
TO advertise for bids third time, and
June % the committee recommended
the award of the contract to j. j. Don
nelly, but the recommendation
Was Again Defeated
in the assembly by the rejection of all
bids and the adoption of resolution re-
quirlng the city clerk TO again advertise
for bids.
June 25 the board of aldermen adopted
resolution instructing the mayor and
the commissioner of health to enter into
temporary contract for the removal
and destruction Of garbage, but three
days later the assembly defeated the
temporary measure by failure to con-
cur.
july IA the joint committee on garbage
reported to the assembly in favor of an
ordinance for the collection and DISPOSE
ton of garbage by licensed scavengers,
but July Is the committee reported to
the assembly recommending that the
scavenger ordinance do not pass, and
the city clerk was again instructed to
advertise fourth time.
Bids were again presented to the
assembly, and Aug. 90 the committee
submitted a majority report recon-
mending award of contract to w. j.
Preston for two years for the sum of
$40, 400; but the board of aldermen failed
to concur, referred all bids back to the
committee. and on Sept. 6 directed the
committee to take no further action I'M
til instructed by the board.
Then followed Oh Sept. the defeat
in the assembly of the mayors request
for special appropriation of 5000 to
clean the city. This leaves the matter
precisely where it was fourteen months
ago, when the commissioner of health
called the attention of the council to the
gravity of the situation. Four times
during this period the city clerk has re-
ceived bids, and with the presentation
of such bids every successive PROPOSE
ton has been defeated. With the eX-
perience of other cities in the disposition
OF garbage we'll understood, there is no
sufficient excuse for the continuance of
the present situation. The demand for
an immediate solution of the problem is
OutspOken and General
among our citizens. The press of the
city has continuously urged that prompt
and decisive action be taken. The COM
missioner of health has over and over
again appealed to the council and its
committees for relief, and the Ramsey
County Medical society has spoken
loudly OF the danger that confrOnts us.
In the meantime city of $50, DOC people
is left TO the mercy of the peStilence
that waketh at MONDAY, while fifty
tons OF garbage per day Is added to tn at
already on the city dump, and as much
| more is left to breed cOntagion and
death i'll the yards and alleys of many
thousand private dwellings. In this
| situation we are compelled to anticipate
an early visitation of cholera, the ter
rors of which are unknown to this gen.
GRAFTON. Every circumstance in the de-
velopment ana progress of the disease
| abroad indicates for us repetition of
the experience attending the great
| plague of 1881, when Russian
| troops carried the disease to War
saw, whence it was conveyed to
Berlin and Hamburg and from
there to London. After sweeping
over England, Scotland and Ireland
with great fatality, it was carried in
Irish emigrant ships to Quebec in the
spring of 1882. From there it moved
| steadily up the st. Lawrence and across
| the lakes to Detroit, where it met the
| United States troops going TO the Black
| Hawk war. The whole military force
was disabled on account of the infection
contracted by soldiers on steamboats, en-
gagged in transporting crowds of emf
| grants McStWdIu lIOiI MOutItdl anu
| Quebec. The peStilence was, with as
tOnishing rapidity, distributed to all the
national posts and forts in the West, to
| Prairie. du CHEN, Chicago and Rock
| Island, sweeping down through the
| Mississippi valley even to New Orleans,
where 5000 persons died out of popu-
lation of $1,000.
The progress of the disease Indicates
thus far tendency to pursue the same
course, and. with the present extensive
transportation facilities in the North
west, our city is exposed to degree
which demands of all our citizens the
most prompt, Intelligent and
| Vigorous Action
! known to modern sanitary science.
| With a full realization of the gravity of
the situation, your committee therefore
submits the foregoing EXTENDED report,
following resolution:
/ Rasnlyed. That it is the sense of this