New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-11
DON'T LITTER THE STREETS.

Commissioner Waring Is right In the notice
which he gave TO the public on Monday. The
time has come, and not day too soon, when
neople must stop making the streets dumping
ground for dirt and rubbish. For years there
has been general and persistent deilement or
tho streets. both wholesale and retail. The In
dividual wayfarer has flung down scraps or
paper. remains Of fruit. or what not. wherever
he pleased The householder has snned similar
lv hut 10 greater extent The owner Of store or
factory has swept rubbish and litter unto the
highway by the load. To sweep dirt from build
ings upon the sidewalks las been common; TO
sweep it from the sidewalks to the cutters has
been all but universal And then people have
wondered why the streets were so uniidy, and
why they could not be kept clean ana neal Ike
those Of some Old World cities. Why in the
latter, IL man so much as throws a torhup
letter envelope into the street he Is taken peiore
a magistrate and fined a round sum.
He could be treated in a like manner here II
any one had n mind to enforce the law Just
now Commissioner Warlng seems to have
mind TO do So He calls attention to the law
which SAYS that the wilful throwing Of garbage,
paper dirt, or rubbish OF any kind, into me
street or any public place Is misdemeanor'
punishable by fine Of from 81 TO SO or imprsOii-
ment for from one to five days Such IL the
penalty for throwing a scrap or paper INTO the
street, or for sweeping dirt from the sidewalk
into the gutter Hitherto there has been prac-
tically no attempt made to enforce the law. and,
rs we have said, the law has been shamefully
ar shomelesslv-yiolated Commissioner Waring
has tried 10 persuade people 10 observe H. Now
he declares. II they will not be persuaded. they
are TO be compelled Every employe OF his de-
partment Is to be an agent for the enforcement
Of the law and people who litter the streets VIII
be arrested just as surely rs those VINO openly
commit any other misdemeanOr.
We take II. OF course. that the Department OF
street Cleaning will act with reasonable discre-
| ton in the matter 1t will make 1t easy TO Keep
the law by promptly removing the ashes. gar
bagc. etc. from dwelling houses when they are
properly offered for removal. 1t will Also we
trust place at street-corners suitable receptacles
into which passers-by may toss the waste paper
and other things which they have been in the
habit OF throwing into the street. This system
has been adopted elsewhere and has worked
we'll When such reccptacles are provided there
Is no excuse for people litering the streets even
so slightly as with torn envelopes cigar-sumpS
and bonapa-peels, and all caught doing so should
be arrested and punished. In old times each
man was required to keep clean The street IN
front Of his own house. Certainly 1t Is not too
much TO ask now that he shall refrain from
dlrtyng It. At any rate, there Is law against
throwing rubbish into the street. As long as the
law stands It ought TO be enforced. Commits
soper Warng has set out to enforce It, He will
have. no doubt. the cooperation OF the Police
Department, and we are inclined 10 think the
two together will succeed. Some laws can be
enforced as well IA some other laws.