The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-05


now ones. However this may be, much
has already been done toward getting
| ample and good water TO this city, and
this matter is of first importance to the
city's health.
" the undesirable first floor negro is tr
| stay in town he must first be taught how
| to live properly and then made TO do So
IL Is not sufficient to post instructions on
tenement house dCIrs: sewers must be
built and until that time all washing OF
clothes should be done in proper public
layatories; there must be ample anc
good water; proper and hygienic living
| must be severely punished for each In
| traction of the rules; only thus can they
be handled and effectively taught 1t
VIII be useless and farcical to attempt to
force them to live properly without CIV
| ing them the means so to do.
o
The situation can be summed up thus
shortly: the city today is overcrowded,
there is not sufficient water and what
there is IL bad, the soil Is impregnated
and poisoned with the accumulations of
years and centuries and there are no san
itary arrangements such as sewers and
drains. The question can be handled
radically and straight out from the shoul-
ders In which case tho population of the
toncments will have to be thinned out.
cleaning of the city is now In the hands
Of the city council. Since the American
occupation they have been attempting
to do something in the matter, but they
clearly lack the ability to grasp and ham
die the question. They have no idea as
to what a clean city. according to our
American ideas. should be- None of them
has ever been intimately acquainted with
one. AT a recent meeting of the council
when this subject came up for discussion
one member pompously remarked Let
us show the Americans that we can keep
this city clean as well as they can" In
sOmuCh as we have before us the result
of several centuries of their effort in
this direction the remark appears ridicu-
lous.
The matter of the sanitation of this
city needs American handling. 1t calls
for North American to run 1t. 1t is
the purpose of the present American Mill
tary authorities to allow the Porto Ri
cans to administer within certain linn
itatiOnS, their own affairs Well and
good, but this matter of health, which
affects every American resident in the
capital, should be enerSetiCally admins
tered by an American. 1t is manifest
that a Porto Rican cannot do it as it
should be done.
San Juan is a long line of old Spanish
tortilicGtions. There are walls many feet
thick broken uy embrasureS for cannon
and old sentry boxes. In picturesque
irrcguarity they stretch along above the
breakers from Moro Castle on the west
ern end TO the old fortress of San Girls
tobal on the other. This part of San
Juan is most attractive. 1t is exposed
10 the persistent trade winds and the
ground is the highest in town. It is
clearly the best location in the city, out
unfortunately it is now occupied by san
Juan's worst and dirtest Inhabitants.
o.
The old walls and the broad street
behind them lend themselves to a most
attractive scheme of city improvement.
With grading and leveling there could
be built here the most attractive drive
way in the West Indies. The old walls
would hold it up from the sea, MORO
would mark one end, San Cristobal the
other, there would be the cool trades to
rattle the palm leaves planted to give
shade, lights would make IL bright at
night, the waves would flash white over
the rough coral below and sea and SKY
would give one mass of brilliant, blue
color. III such an enterprise were start
rate enterprise would seize up the tum-
BILE down barracks that now face the fu-
ture driveway and this property world
be improved and all would be in keep
irg.