The record-union., 1895-11-02
SHALL WE HAVE A CHANGE FOR
THE BETTER

Sacramento has now arrived at a
point in her municipal history when
she must have a street cleaning sys-
TEN compatible with her needs, and
ordered after economic methods. At
present we have nothing at all worthy
eminent has utterly failed to improve
upon old conditions, though there has
been a constant and unbroken line Of
complaint from all quarters Of the city.
city of this Importance and popu-
lation cannot go on forever with the
filth Of the place accommodating in the
streets. The lowest and most conserva-
tive calculation made is that there are
not less than a thousand horses on the
streets of the city during daylight
hours, to say nothing of the number
of other domestic animals. The waste
from the bodies of these animals is
cleared from the few upper grade
streets alone, in part by the city, in
part by private subscription, and not
from all of the upper streets then The
mass Of the daily deposition is beaten
into the street surface and either re-
mains on the soil or is dried and blown
into the houses and breathed into the
lungs of the people. What remains on
the soil is finally washed into the
manholes, clogs the sewers, and entails
ways
There is a. large amount of other waste
that daily accumulates upon the high
ways that should not remain there.
All this filth should be removed, and
in well ordered cities is daily taken
away and utilized, in the main. a con-
sentative estimate made by number
OF citizens places the waste deposit on
our streets at not less than three and
three-quarter millions Of pounds an
nually. OF this nine-tenths may be re-
moved and should be.
Apart from the sanitary necessity
common decency and the dictates of
cleanliness demand that our streets
shall be cleaned at frequent stated peri
DDS. and this can be done without ex-
traordinary cost and without damage
to the highways, and will give employ
ment to labor. That the new govern
ment under the charter for which SO
much has been claimed has not even
suggested inquiry into this matter is
reproach to it, neglect that must not
be longer endured. 1t would be posi-
bic to enforce regulations that would
largely conserve the cleanliness of the
streets, but this has not been done. In
deed it was not until public protest and
loud complaint had made the air vocal
that the Trustees and other officials
were brought to the point of even warn
ing offenders, and requiring those haul
ing garbage, street material and the
like to cease offending. Had the city
had efficient, intelligent superintend-
ence of the streets, much might have
been accomplished In the last two years
In conserving street cleanliness. If we
arc to have for the next two years the
prevalence Of the same street superin
tendence the city will indeed be an OBJ
ject of pity.
OF this every citizen is aware, that
the methods of street sprinkIing have
been about as bad as could possibly be.
Despite the pleadings of the people. the
system has been maintained that per
mits the sprinklers to keep one side of
the highway muddy and filthy all day
long. simply because ordinary sense has
not been employed in sprinkling upon
the shaded sides, nor in distributing the
water with view to laying the dust
instead of creating a sticky mud that
in very many sections of the city forms
an actual barricade to the approaches
to the homes of the people.
We are about to enter upon new mu-
nicipal term, with reorganized Board
of Trustees, and in doing so, one of the
first things to be considered and settled
should be a system for keeping the
streets reasonably clean and having
them sprinkled as ordinary sense dc