Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-14
CLEAN UP TOMORROW
Washington a SpotIess Town
by 9 O'Clock.
WOMEN ARE IN EARNEST
And City Officials Are Backing Them
Up in Crusade.
WATCH ON RUBBISH WAGONS
Debris Dropped From Them to Be
Picked Up and Sent to
Municipal Building.

Washington will be the cleanest city
in the world tomorrow morning at 8
o'clock, II the efforts of the ladies OF
the Twentieth Century Club and those
who are cooperating with them succeed
in having the housewives of the District
gather and burn all the stray paper, cir
culars. rags and other rubbish that usu-
auy litters the premises where they live.
Thursday. April 10. has been set apart
by the ladies as cleaning day." They
are spreading the news far and wide. even
into the remotest suburbs. They mean
business all through. There is nothing
sentimental or mawkish about the move
ment. 1t is simply a sensible, earnest
intention on their part, not only to see
that the surroundings of their own homes
are put in apple pie order. whatever that
may mean, but to ask their sisters
throughout the length and breadth of this
disfranchised community to do likewise.
They are going to "clean up what
they feel the street cleaning department
of the District government leaves In its
wake after its carts have carried away
the coarser debris that usually litters the
street, much of 1t, as they claim, what
the carts have left behind
City officials Cooperating.
Commissioner West has promised his
hearty cooperation in the movement He
has promised the rubbish wagons and
their attendants shall be utilized to their
limits in carrying out the purpose Of
cleaning day." Woe be to the luckless
driver of the dirt cart who leaves the
rubbish In his cart uncovered as ii wan
ders through the streets. It Is the in
tention Of the chairmen Of the movement
in each block Of the city to lay in wait
for the rubbish wagon, and. IL through
carelessness or otherwise, either in dump
ing dirt into carts. or in falling to carry
1t away at all, old newspapers, lunch
bags, scraps Of any sort are permitted
TO escape and chase each other up and
down the streets and alleys the rebellious
scraps will be gathered into bags to be
carried to the municipal building Friday
morning as evidence of dereliction on the
part of the street cleaning department.
There isn't going to be anything left to
argument. Indisputable facts. in the form
of.greasy lunch bags, old newspapers. sour
rying circulars, torn letters. empty en-
velopes, everything, in fact, in the way of
rubbish that litters the streets, the park
ing In front Of the houses, the public
parks and even the rear alleys. is to be
properly labeled, with the names Of wit
nesses. and deposited in Commissioner
Vests room Friday morning
House-to-House Canvass.
That there may be nothing left undone
to fix upon the rubbish wagons the blame
for anything that filters the city to-
morrow the lady chairman In each city
block Is making her rounds today with
an earnest request to each housewife in
the block to make a special effort to see
that her premises at least are not lit
tered with papers or anything at o'clock
tomorrow morning. Furthermore. each
housewife is to be urged to put a cover
of some kind on her old ash barrel or
rubbish box. that none of it's contents
may escape. The brisk breezes that
blow over the city this time Of the year
may be depended upon to search out the
insecure box and barrel and chase out
into the open light OF observation loose
papers and scraps from the waste heap
as tangible evidence against those re-
sponsible for dereliction.
The ladies are going to have a clean
city tomorrow morning at O'Clock or
know the reason why.