The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-12-04
BIG CRY HEARD
FOR CLEAN STREET
City Commissioners Are Condemned
for Their Disregard Of the Wishes
Of Citizens for Clean
Streets.
MAY BE BIG MEETING
Mass Meeting Is Planned to Take Ac-
ton to Compel the Commits
sioners to Accede to
Public Wishes.

business men or heOhuks NlcieoiSSsi
to the city and shoppers are up IN
arms over the condition of the streets
of the city. The business men are
angry on account Of the tendency or
the filthy condition of Main street TO
keen the shoppers at home, the shop
pers are angry because they have 70
stay at home or run chances OF ruin
ing their clothes and visitors are
sorry that they have come to the city /
because of the streets.
Unless the city commissioners take
some action within a day or SO they I
will find that the merchants and citi-
zsns of the city will endeayor to
make them rather uncomfortable. 1t
! has been proposed that the people de-
string clean streets in the downtown
| portion of the city hold mass meet |
| ing sometime this week and take for
NAL action, condemning the commits
sioners for their utter disregard OF
the wishes of the people for better
condition Of the streets.
This morning 1t was impossible TO
talk to merchant without hearing
a complaint about the streets. All OF
them say that Main street is dis
/ grace to the city and that there Is
no excuse for the commissioners in
1 not having them cleaned and kept
clean. They site Burlington, Fit. Mad
/ igon and other nearby cities, which
although they are in no better finan-
cial condition that Keokuk keep their
streets clean.
i A travelling man at the Hotel Keo-
kuk this morning remarked in his
i territory, which includes the whole
state of Iowa there was not city or
4 town whose streets we're as filthy as
those Of Keokuk.
One prominent woman OF the city
had made arrangements to have sew
!, eral friends from out Of town visit
her this week, but yesterday as she
aIfghted from car at Fourth and
Main streets she was so Disguised
with the condition of the streets that
she telegraphed her friends not to
), come at present.
A Few Opinions.
A few opinions of prominent mer-
chants in regard to The matter are
] given below.
Frank LeBron: "It's disgrace to
any city to have the streets in such
!, a condition. There Is absolutely no
: excuse for it, Other cities are keep
? ing their streets clean and they have
!. no more money in the city treasury
: than Keokuk. Something must be
done"
). J. B. We'll: Women are doing the
!, !. shopping now and i. is disgrace te
: make them walk through the mud as
they are compelled to do. cannot
O see any reason for not keeping the
downtown streets clean
Eugene f. Sullivan: 1.-THE streets
are in horrible condition and there il
no doubt but that they are hurting
70 the business of all the merchants
i John Dewitt: ut is the intention Q
- the streets and alleys committee 0
i the Industrial Association to hold
u, conference with the city commission
= ers as soon as the mayor arrive
! home. which I understand will b
- early next week. At that time it !
- likely that the subject Of keeping IN
streets clean will be taken up. Pei
sonally, / believe that Main stree
= should be cleaned at once"
~ DR.. w. P. Sherlock: "The conditio
~ OF he downtown streets Of Keokuk
shameful and / have heard grea
- deal OF talk Of mass-meeting for tn
purpose of taking some action wit
the object of compelling the commi
gioners to take notice of he wishe
Of the citizens 1t is a shame thu
el the women shoppers should be cor
PEELED TO walk through the filth
I'm order 20 DO their Christmas buying
sn These are only few OF the man
-. expressions that were heard on ever
,or hand this morning. The cry Il
NJ. clean streets Ia being taken UP dai
of by people whose business brint
W. them TO the business portion OF TOW
OF and 1t now seems as though the who
&c city will ask for an explanation Of Il
~ UfEtsEEHtt u biie ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
ing One prominent man said this MGR
I'll, ing that a force of SIX men ennploy'
or steadily by the city could keep Ma
'er stree. and the interesting stree
~ clean for a cost not to exceed tn
for which is now paid out for the swee
cts ing and partial cleaning which is dol
, / occasionally.
r6t Others were severe in their condel
" nation of the commissioners attitu
ed in their reluctance to accede to Il
M public demands for clean streets al
MT promised that sweeping chan
! a would have to be made in the depai
ment Of streets and alleys.
When Commissioner Hickey was