The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-08-09
A'oITY OR A VILLAGE?

The two principal streets of this city.
Bond and Commercial, are disgrace
+ to Astoria, and stigma on the ability OF
every office holder whose position brings
him in touch directly or indirectly with
the maintenance of our thor9ughfares.
To begin With and laying aside for the
moment all question of the structural
condition of our highways, there has
never been the slightest attsmpt at a
systematic course of cleaning ard sweep
ing. Filthy and noisome substances grad
ually collect and are allowed to lie and
rot into powder at every corner. The
wind at times blows This sickly and dis
. tase+breedlng dust into the face of every
PEDESTRIAN, and throws 1t over goods
displayed in front OF grocery. cloth
Ing ard dry goods stores, gradually ruin
Ing materials exposed for sale and making
further channel for its distribution
among people who purchase the necessa-
ries of life and wearing apparel. That
Astoria is one Of the healthiest spots on
the Continent is no fault of the CITY
authorities, and were 1t NOT for our prox-
unity to the ocean and various other nat
ural reasons such impotent carelessness
would long ago have led to most serious
results. Once in q great while SOLITARY
Individual with a wooden shovel, at the
earnest solicitation of heavy taxpayer
appears on the streets and tolls wearilv
Tor couple of hours in a very hollow
attempt at cleaning up. In the extremely
iapored dissertations on threabare sub
jects with which the council chamber
rings every Wednesday night the oues-
ton of street cleaning holds no place.
Whether this indifference Is the result
OF a firm faith in the disposition of Prov
idence to keep epidemics away from AS
toria without the assistance of these rep-
resentatives of the people, or whether
1t Is because of an inherent dread of
startling the public with anything in the
nature of a reform measure In any dlrec-
tion, we do not know. But the subject
is systematically ignored.
The Astorlan has before dealt at length
with the question of man-traps, "aprons,"
and crazy patchwork thoroughfares gem
orally, but the council has at once come
responsibility for this unique collection
or rotten lumber onto the city charter.
The charter, by the way. according to
the defence made by the councllmen, is
the scapegoat for every sin in the alder
manic calendar, but as everybody knows
that the charter, as broken down col
lection of rubbish as the streets them
selves, was the master piece of the men
who try to shield their official records
behind dts lame and ddlotlc provisions,
such an argument, TO put 1t mildly,
does not strike us as being very forcible.
In fact, the comic opera way In which
the document was drawn up would be
amusing II Il did not touch the city's
vital interests. A short seance In back
Office among a committee appointed to
deal with the matter of bylaws and con-
ststutional amendments, a hurried ex-
change OF mutual private wlshes-"You
put In this provision about the grade OF
streets, and I'll support that sewerage
scheme of yours" a mutual understand
ing sealed with smiles, winks and mods
between Brown and Jones and Robinson,
and the thlng called by courtesy char
ter"-an instrument dealing with the civic
happiness and welfare Of ten thousand
people, Is born into the world. The crea-
ture OF few private interests, used as a
shield for every 6Gocl1headed piece Of I'M
becllity that cannot otherwise be plausi-
oily explained away, its life is indeed
hard one. When It has reached its second
birthday 1t is ruthlessly murdered, ere
ated once more, and lives for another two
years a thing of contumely and butt
for the just abuse that should fan on Its
creators. Poor old chnrterl
with the advent of the prosperity for
which Astoria has long waited and the
Incoming OF new blood, common sense
ideas ana businesslike methods, the time
Is happily fast approaching when the
pvbglc win be able to compose epftapns
on the ofiicial careers of these baunderers'
King Concomly dirty and griszied as ne
was and guilty also of few little man
nerisms hardly in accord with our present
clvillsation. was stlll in many respects
ohe superior OF some OF our white lawgiv-
ere. He built good roads his people lived
haupy. and he never went into a back
oiice and composed charters.
like Astoria, San Francisco Is just now