The record-union., 1895-08-17
AGITATION FOR STREET. CLEANING.
A Meeting of Citizens Organizes to
Push the Movement.
An Association Formed-Its Purposes
Outlined-The Law to be
Enforced.

III III o6llDg OF CILlZeHS at ytulaN CasIIe =
last night that went 10 work with vim
and manifested the spirit out of which
prosperous cities are built, and upon
which alone successful communities
move.
Exigencies of space and time forbid an
adequate report of the proceedings, which
were full of interest. f. Nj. WOodson,
Chairman of the Committee of Promo
ton. called the meeting to order and
stated the authority under which his
committee acted, namely. the meeting
of the 18th inst
Frank Miller was called to the chair
and J. II. Watkins was chosen Secretary.
Judge A. c. Hinkson was the first
speaker. He dwelt at length upon the
importance and need for reform in the
matter of the enforcement OF the law
against rubbish in the streets, and the
Immediate need to promote clean-street
agitation. He attributed present condl-
tions to lack of organization and the un-
happy mlsconception the people have of
| how our street conditions appear to
others. We have a beautiful city OF
| homes, and it is absolutely necessary that
| the street frontages before them be made
and kept clean, and that the laws for the
He thought it might be well to provide
that occupants and owners clean the
streets of their frontage. That is done in
! not a few other places.
| Frank Miller from the chair spoke of
| the necessity for courage TO enforce the
law and punish offenders. The residence
streets are, he believed, cleaned but twice
year, but the business streets are
cleaned daily.
ID. A. Lindley spoke at length upon the
same lines, and sketched his expert ence
in clearing the streets of mud in the
winter, and how he was hampered by
the objection against the use OF machln-
| cry, as certain persons seemed TO think
| that the taxpayers money ought to be
used to give them jobs. The great diff
Guilty in any system to be adopted would
be- dealing with unoccupied property.
He believed in high tax to meet any
real need. TO neglect such necessity Tor
the sake of the low tax is poor policy.
The most of street mud and filth. he
said. is in the cutters. 1t is pressed that
| way, and in the case of mud is tracked
back again upon the crown of the street.
In any proposition to clean the streets the
| financial question is most EN- oarrassing
! one We must have some system of
| street cleaning and That right away. 1t
has been too long neglected. AS to use
of general city money for sweeping the
| business streets, he thought that right, as
all use the business streets, and 1t is for
the benefit OF all that they be kept clean.
State Highway Commissioner Maude
was invited TO address the meeting. lie
| said that TO have streets clean the first
thing to do is to put no dirt on them, al
low no rubbish in the first place. He re-
lated how early one morning this week
he saw one citizen throw his house slops
and garbage into the highway, few
iGtn for m N ly
litter and rub bbish to the sidewalk and a
third pushing offensive stuff into the
| gutterway. The law should prohibit,
under severe penalties. all use OF the
streets as dumping grounds. Macadam
streets cannot be swept without injuring
them. They must be cleaned otherwise.
Mr.. Maude said he told Trustee last
winter that Sacramento should employ
machinery of the best order to clean
streets in order to save money and get
| good results. He was given to under
stand that hand sweeping was then done
! because the men needed work, and II
they did not get il the city would have to
care for them anyhow. Mr.. Maude
| thought the Chamber of Commerce
might do as to streets here what the
| Merchants Association of San Francisco
| had done in street cleaning there. Really
| the whole proposition, as he said in the
outset, was one of dollars and cents.
NJ. S. Lavenson moved the appoint
ment of q Committee on Resolutions,
and it was adopted, and Messrs.
Lavenson, Morton, Upson, f. NJ. Wood
son and Lindley were appointed aud re.
| tired to consider.
J. A. Woodson addressed the meeting
| by request. His contention was that or
ganiZation must be had, as everywhere it
| is confessed that it Is necessary to put civic
force behind official duty to secure the
! iojy 20
| law in plenty to secure clean streets, but
it is not enforced. Men fear to make
enemies of their neighbors and so do not
! prosecute offenders.
| He explained the Four Block League
plan to be simply agreement between
| the residents of two fronting blocks TO
weekly. at a given hour, turn out and
give ten minutes to each to clearing the
street in front of his or her lot. This
would inspire the next four block people
to have their street tidy, and the plan, by
! earnest work, would answer until the city
can set up a system.
NJ. X. Beard said that it is true no one
wants the enmity of his neighbor. He
| thought the attention of the Trustees
should be called TO the matter that they
may call upon the police TO notify the
| people that offenders will be prosecuted
who put garbage and rubbish in the
streets.
The Chair said the result would be that
the police would say to you, "Well, file
a complaint and we will arrest"
c. j. Wiley said he lived on Eighteenth
street, and he was shamed by the caval-
cade that cleaned up that street the other
night 1t did good work. He was
ashamed for his neigh bors, some of them.
His own frontage he kept as clean as he
could. He had been hard worker there
| for good walkways, and got them. For
4 ,v,1 hale ha 1nl
Eightsenth street, and he had never seen
two policemen there in that time. He
| knew the force was small, however. If
| they were notified, as suggested, they
would say, if he complained, that "Wiley
! had made the complaint" so he'd have
row with his neighbor anyhow. There
| had been great improvement in Sacra-
mento in the five years he had lived here,
| but he wanted TO see more. He had
| labored on the street to keep it clean in
| his section, and the Mayor, riding by,
| had seen him at it and told him to send
in his bill to the city for his work.
The Chair-We ought not to be afraid
] to offend our neighbor if our neighbor is
himself offending the law.
The Committee on Resolutions here re-
| turned and reported. The report was
| read debated by Messrs. Hinkson, Ben
nett, Upson. Boyd. Beard. NJ. 5. Laven-
son. g. II. Lavenson, Lindley and others,
slightly amended and unanimously
adopted, as follows:
| WHEREAS, The commercial and social
/ importance of Sacramento as a trade cer-
ter aud the Capital of the State demand
that its streets, residence and business, be
properly cleaned and kept clean; and,
whereas, the laws prohibiting deposition
of rubbish, Instructions and foreign mat
ter in the streets are all-sufficient, but are
not enforced; and, whereas, the public
|
and progressive spirit demand that there
shall now be inaugurated street cleaning
reform in Sacramento. Be it
/ ReSoIned That this meeting resolve it