The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-22
CLEANING THE STREETS.

GEEAiNIlNG
Everybody is glad that the city ad-
ministration has seen its way clear
to remedying the very disagreeabie
conditions arising out of the unexpect-
ed and unavoidable exhaustion of the
street cleaning fund. AS has been
pointed out, the funds appropriated
for cleaning the streets of the city are
scarcely adequate to work whose
scope has increased so greatly within
recent years. The tremendous rain
storms of the late summer and early
fall did such great damage in vari-
Gus parts Of the city of the sort that
had to be Immediately remedied that
all available funds were used Snow
fall being delayed unusually late this
| year, the result was streets covered
with refuse and air full of pulveriZed
filth.
The remedy for this has been ap-
piled. Under the charter the health
department is the only one that can
assume authority in an emergency
without specific funds at it's command
The mayor, the city engineer and the
health commissioner have agreed to-
gether that the work must be DONE
This is the proper way to have it
done. 1t would be entirely out of place
tributions of business men. The bust
ness men of the city have paid by
taxation for this and all other proper
public charges, and very properly re-
sent and reject the idea of contribute
ing a second time out of their pockets
for the performance of a public duty.
The work must be done, and the city
is doing it in the only way that it can.
Such emergencies as this will not
arise in the future if the two reforms
spoken Of by the city engineer and
earnestly and repeatedly advocated
through the columns of T he G1ob e
shall be put. into effect. One is to
stop the sweeping of refuse from
places Of business into the street, and
the other is compelling the street rail-
way company to do it's share of the
work as prescribed by it's franchise.
Some of our merchants are intolerably
careless Of public comfort and health.
bodily the offscourings of the floors
of their places of business upon the
into the faces and stores of their
neighbors. Men of some business pre-
tentiousness do this, and it is a prac-
tice which ought to be rebuked by the
public. When the owners of all prem
Uses are obliged to take care strictly
of their own litter, the street clean
ing problem will be cut in two.
Any further delay in carrying out
the other reform mentioned will be
scarcely less than criminal. There is
no difficulty about it whatever The
street railway company is plainly obli-
gated under the terms of it's bargain
with the city to clean the spaces COW
cred by and between it's tracks. 1t
has never been called upon to do so,
except for heavy snowfalls. There is
money enough due from it now on this
account to take care of the streets
for the rest of the year. 1t is not
questionable claim, but one so plainly
written into the bond that no court
| could hesitate for a second about en-
forcing it. All that the city has to do
is to insist upon the legal liability of
the street railway company. Nor will
it be required that the latter should
procure street cleaning appliances
The city can do the work for itself,
estimate the cost and let the company
foot the bills, which will be cheaper
| for it and more satisfactory for the
public. Now that the street cleaning
| problem is satisfactorily settled for
| the balance Of this year, steps should
be taken to see that it never recurs
again. If it should, somebody will be
seriously to blame.