The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-10
TORRENTS OF Filth
Minneapolis Streets Were Never in
a More Repulsive Nor Dan
| gerous Condition.

gerous Condition.
E. n. Moulton's Remarks on Civic
Pride Find Ready Endorsement
in Many Quarters.
When E. H. Moulton, in yesterdays
10 u r n a. condemned the filthy streets
of Minneapolis and arraigned the civic
feeling that would allow such conditions,
he touched popular chord. Within a
week visitors from Chicago, Detroit, Mil
waukee and probably score of other
cities. have beheld the rivulets of filth
on downtown streets and have made re-
marks ranging from expressions OF mere
surprise to absolute disgust
The Milwaukee visitor happened to be a
physician, and he unburdened his mind
to DR.. A. j. Golden. Ee..e f. ..ss =. . r
What are your city officials thinking
about?" he asked. "Your streets are not
only offensive to the eye, but they are
positive menace to health. We had about
as much snow in Milwaukee as you had
here, but when the thaw began the fire
department turned out and flushed the
pavements clear of Ice and filth. Your
health records will show what a penalty
Minneapolis people will pay for not ris-
ing up and demanding that something be
DONE"
@..s,. 1t Is Criminal. .. .~..-
This talk fell on sympathetic ears, for
DR.. Golden has way of keeping look
out Off things that affect the public
health. f...r
IT'S nothing short Of criminal he
said this morning. ANY person Of COM
nonsense ought to know the danger in
the conditions now prevailing upon our
streets, to say nothing of the offense to
the senses. Ask any doctor and he will
tell you that present conditions mean
disease and plenty of it. Think how i'm
| utterably filthy our streets would look
if they were left nearly four months in
summer without a thorough cleaning, and
yet we have now on the pavement four
| months accumulation of filth and it is
being cleaned away only as the sun loos-
ems the deposit I have not the slightest
doubt that the present prevalence of grip
is greatly aggravated by these disgust
| ing conditions, and grip isn't the worst
| malady that comes from uncleaned
| Streets
| Worst in Forty five Years. -.
Samuel c. Gale, one of the oldest and
| possibly most observant citizens Of Min
neapolis although conceding a little to
| the fuel condition which requires the use
Of coft Goals and the resultant excess Of
smut which has caught in the snow, Is
! strong in his expressions of disgust at
| the underfOot conditions. In remarking
| on Mr.. Moulton's comments, Mr.. Gale
| said:
,'T agree fully with everything Mr..
| Moulton says about our streets and side
! walks. In the forty-five years that ]
have lived in this city I never have seen
them SO sloppy and dirty, the sidewalks
especially.
I II believe the women Of the city are
doing a fine work in the municipal i'm
provement league, and that an appeal
should be made to every man who occu-
pies piece of property, whether as owner
or tenant, to see to it that as much as
can be seen from the street, at least
should be kept in good order. y J.. believe
this: can be done through the efforts o.
the various leagues who are doing a gooc
work in the city on this line. ,>.-.,
''All that our people need is to be ap
pealed to. properly. They have the pride
and intelligence, If section Of a stree
is once, kept up it becomes an object les
son, and thesexample is contagious This
is true Of all our better Streets
George Wakefield of the Portland Ave
, nue. Improvement association, one of tn
, most vigorous Of the neighborhood organi
) cations, finds that the problem is to kee
L sidewalks abutting vacant property clea
in winter. Otherwise the efforts of tn
right minded citizens are in vain.
1 . An Esthetc View.
+ Edward C. Gale looks at the matter fro1
! | the esthetic standpoint. He believe
something is lacking in the finer feeling
. and elements Of civilization when citizen
= look with Indifference at the filth and sho'
= no disposition to clean the side walks eve
- In front of their own residences. M
Gale says:
4 II do not think that Minneapolis is be
j hind other cities of it's class in this cour
4 | try in civic pride nor do think that Mir
y neapolis is in a worse condition than othe
d northern cities at this time of the sprin
n breakup, where the winter is as steadil
n rigorous as it Is here It is at best a try
S ing time in all cities situated as far mort
S as we are, as any one knows who traVe
about in our latitude in March and Apr
: But, having said this much, thorough
= agree with Mr.. Moulton in his advocac
: of societ yagainst Mud. Certainl 20,
u education is woefully deficient when "
permit such condition of affairs as exis
at present in this city. <
There Is something lacking in tt
finer feelings and elements of our civi
izath,n, when we are enabled to regal
e with indifference the mud that is ever.
where in the street, on the sidewalks al
on our own clothes. She mediate fault
l. that of property owners and occupants
% we'll, who manifest no disposition TO cles
IF the dirt off Of the immediate sidewa
y and steps in front Of their own homes
le places Of business. I do not believe tn
le this Indifference is more Characteristic
le the foreigners as class, than our nati
in Americans; for certainly a large portl'
e, of these foreigners come from the clea;
est and tidiest countries imaginable
le the old world, and some of our natl
IN American homes are the dirtiest. If ca
al one would do his little and clean the wa
d. at his own door, there would be conside
r, able improvement at least.
H. Ordinance to Be Resurrected.
or| Wallace G. Nye of the Commercial cll
70 public affairs committee, spe" 'Aing on t
g general question Of civic improvement
h+ says that the move Of the club made t
III day in offering prizes for attractive yare
az to supplement efforts Of the Minneapo
40 Improvement association, is only one
=, the ways in which the Commercial eli
% is interested in stirring up stAt,me
along these lines. For instance, 1t
been discovered that an ordinance. pass
some years ago, is in existence. forbiddr
j., the throwing Of refuse, papers, etc.,
'n the streets. The committee will call t
= 1o++on+;on of the public and of the ci