Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1903-04-04
Last Word.

In the Judgment of some the JOURNALS
agitation Of the hog-pen peril is i'll
advised.
Twas ever thus.
Not later than last year the JOURNALS
| anti bond campaign was declared by
number Of good citizens as threatening
"wrio"S injury to the town"
But, although Mayor Llmm"rt says
water supply is still the paramount
question be fore the public overriding
hog-ren hazards, paving problems and
franchise freaks. n"tuns l. ubw mere
certain than that the ,uNn is 1t least
for more bonded debt.
Having reason to bliev, tn hog pen
peril is inuinen'. the JOURNAL has
done only win It it T., Gems 'lltyas Well
~ IA privilege-oppDScd it until there is
little more to be said, and that little is
trenchantly and concluSlvely stated in
the following letter by DR.. John S.
Fulton. Secretary of the State Board of
Health, to Il citizen of Frostburg. The
doctor is Il physician eminent in the
profession and Il public hcaltl. promoter
of the most searching. active character
In fact, he is the most competent as well
As most strenuous official of his class in
the United States
am advised that the hog-pcn nuisance
which was happily abated some two years
ago, has again become an issue in your
town affairs, and that possibly Frostburg
may relapse into Il hooper town.
In the past six years have witnessed the
abolition of hog-pens in several towns, and
twice | have seen attempts made to re-
establish the nuisance. Elkton, which is only
one-third az large as Frostburg, got rid of
the hog-pen two years ago, and at the next
election very determined effort was made
to repeal the Ordinance. ElktOn has Il
large colored population, and the colored
vote could be counted solid for the hog-pen.
But the attempt failed, and the hog will
probably never re-appear in Elkton poll
ties
Cambridge got rid of her hos-penS about
four years ago, and the disgruntled citizens
were ready at the next town election to vote
for any ticket that pledged the restoration
of the hog But those who promised to
"hog' the town We're defeated.
Two years ago when your Ordinance was
proposed the hog-pen people had good
ground for opposing it, The hog had
been there time ont of mind, and had a sort
of prescrptive right t" remain. In the
days of your grand-fatherS the hog could be
tolerated without especial discomfort. But
as the town grew the hog became more and
more of Il nuisance, until at last he became
intolerablc and you got rid of him.
But for clean town to return to the filth
of which it has been purged is monstrouS
proposition, and am surprised that any
votes can be attracted by the project of de
grading your town by rc-establishing hog
pens. l. it possible that an election is
needed to find out whether you will be re-
spectacle or not? You made Il great step in
sanitation and in civic decency when you
passed that Ordinance. You got into the
company of the best towns in Maryland
When Frostburg grew to 1000 people and
still tolerated hog-pens one might have
suspected that you were incapable of SAM
tary self-gOvernmcnt But Sensibly, you
got rid of the hog-pens, and if you should
now, by Il deliberate act, re-eStablish such
a nuisance your most indulgent friends
would hardly claim that you know how to
take care Of yourselves.
Surely the thoughtful people of Frost
burg will not permit such a criticism to
fall upon the town. Yours very truly,
JoHS :. FULTON,
Secretary of the State Board of Health.