The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-01-17

measures required in the government
of SO large town, especially in the
matter of sanitary regulations, is
serious difficulty in the way of the ac-
complishment of Utopian ideas in the
government of the nations capital
1t will be conceded that the sanitary
condition of any large town is of vital
Importance. Sanitary science is still in
its embryo state The methods of to.
day may be considered a positive
menace tomorrow. There is need of
al ever present force to change legisla.
ton and adopt that which is new and
more likely to prove successful. Why,
In some respects the city of Washing
ton is the worst governed town in the
country today and one of the dirtiest
This is perhaps strong statement to
make of the nations beautiful capitol,
but it is warranted by the facts. The
methods of collecting garbage are
scandalous and there has been no
method at all up to within short time
of collecting ashes and other waste.
This has either been left to the inter.
mittent action of property owners to
remove at their expense or left to &C.
cumulate and poison the atmosphere of
back yards.
Washington is now city of upwards
of two hundred and eighty thousand
people and sanitary conditions are
changing as in other cities of like size.
Yet up to July 1st 1900, there was no
provision for the collection and DISPOSE
ton of the waste. except kitchen gar.
bage by public process and at public
expense. What other great city in the
world would leave a matter of such
vital importance to public health to the
capricious action of the private citizen?
When you take into consideration
the coglomerated population Of the
city the condition may be more fully
realized. Washington is cosmopolitan
in its population.
One of the local papers in its issue a
short time ago has the following to say
apropos, the sanitary conditions of the
city:
Though Washington is city of
27S, 71S inhabitants, and though it is the
capital of the nation, householders still
pay private citizens for carting away
ashes, waste paper and other refuse,
except garbage, which is collected and
disposed of by the municipality. AS a
consequence Washington is in some re-
spects, the dirtiest city on the continent.
Nowhere else can be found city of its
pretentions where the streets, private
property and the whole surface is liter
ally strewn with waste paper as thick
as the leaves of autumn. For years
there has been no adequate means oil
/, disposing of this waste"
And yet how slow is congress to act
in the face of such conditions. 1t re-
quires too much effort to put such
pondrous wheels in motion.
The mass OF the people get careless
under such conditions and as result
the filth that should be quickly removed
accumulates here and there unnoticec
| perhaps, and the health of the whole
! city endangered.
The attention of congress is called to
the existence of such evils, but tina
body is too slow to act, mainly because
of its ponderosity. 1t is not Close
enough to the citizenship of the people
of the District. AS body congress
is only periodically interested in TIT
welfare of the city. Congress adjourn
and its needs are forgotten.
Under the same conditions Washing
ton has become paradise for all sort
and conditions of the fakir class. 1t Il
literally infested with them and there i
no portion of the city where they ar
not found. In London, England, th'
great centre of fakirdom, they regulat
this gentry. In the city of Washington
a stranger might think this class re
gulated the city, apparently they EMO.
the same privileges as do their mor
fortunate brethren in business, will
more fashionable ideas, with few ad
ditional privileges for full weight
Anyway the fakir system of the city 0
Washington is a nuisance of the mos
pronounced pattern and scandal to tn
nations capitol.
In what other city of such fair pro
portions and social consequence in thi
c ,untry or in the world, does such a.
abnormal condition, of this characte
exist? Certainly nowhere in thi
country. They claim free trade an
squatters rights" all in one and def