Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-05
Suggestions for Our District Ruler,

Suggestions for Our District Rulers.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Notwithstanding the recent order of the
Commissioners to enforce the law TO pre-
vent the throwing of papers and rubbish
in the streets (as though it were not their
duty to enforce the law without a special
crder), see the practice still continues.and
apparently without diminution.
On leaving my house in the morning 1
met two colored boys, each with an armful
of circulars, which they were throwing into
the yards or onto the porcnes or steps of
every house along the street.
When spoke to them and asked them If
they did not know they were violating the
law and were liable to be arrested by the
police, they laughed outright and said:
I'VE do it all the time; the police never
troubles u.s.
In driving down town this morning, in
every street loose papers were being blown
ithar and thither by the brisk wind, fright
ching every spirited horse and endanger-
ing the lives and limbs of people all over
the city!
On arriving at my office found the hall
way Uttered with a handful of loose cir
culars thrown in, though the janitor had
but short time before swept it out and
gathered up the crop of loose papers
thrown there the day before.
And all this is but a sample of what
goes on daily under the eyes of the District
police and authorities, in what Is claimed
to be 1.-The best governed city in the world"
and with police force which the Com
missioners in their rport say is the
''neatest appearing in Dress" &C., of any
in the country!
If the District authorities would make
anything like the effort to abate this nui-
sance and tina. Of the continuous ringing
of our door bells by the street hucksters
that they have in annoying the business
men of the city by removing the so-called
street Instructions. they would be doing
much more good.
Their last move of removing the fruit
stands of the poor women who rem: a room
and set their stand outside within four feet
Of the building, or within the area, IL it
be basement room, and where 1t certainly
is not ard cannot be an obstruction. strikes
me as the most unreasonable of all things
ever done by our autccratic rulers.
The result is the owners of the property
are deprived Of their rent, while their taxes
have been largely increased, the poor fruit
vendors are deprived of the means of get
ting an honest living. and the charities of
the District will be- burdened with their
support. How any human being is benefited
by this 1 fail to see.
And row for the third or fourth time
within the past fifteen years I see a raid is
ordered on the citizens on account of the
carriage steps. Although they complain
of a want of means and force to make the
proper inspection of insanitary privies.
yards, &C., yet they can find means and
men to go about the city to measure all
the carriage steps to see whether they eX.
coed by half an inch in any of their dimen-
sicns the size arbitrarily set by the old
board of public works years ago.
If it were not apparent to all that these
carriage steps are at the edge of the walk
between the trees. where people do not
v ak, or If our sidewalks were narrow, as in
other cities, there might be some excuse
for the raid, but as 1t is, cannot see that
it is of the slightest consequence to tine
public whether the citizen, to enable the
children, women and infirm to easily reach
the carriage step, uses stepping stone
eight and a half instead Of eight inches
high or not These acts look to ME like
''straining at gnats while swallowing cam
els" md I submit that the authorities can
better give their time and attention to mat
tiers Of more Importance, and which will be
of much greater benefit to the public.
A TANPAYING CITIZEN.