The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-04-28
A LOCAL
MENACE

Wherever there is an old wooden
building in town, building that Is
no longer used, or that Is allowed
to accumulate trash and junk, q
place where old papers blow in and
lodge. q place which by its abandon
ed condition invites vermin, disease
and crime, such building has out
lived its usefulness and should be
removed or cleaned up and kept
clean. The mere fact that the, own
ers do not keep it in condition justi-
iies the. city government in taking
steps against 1t. II 1t is clean but
unsightly, the owner need. not be dis
turbed In its possession. II 1t is
clean so far as actual decaying mat
ter is concerned, but is unnecessarily
dangerous as to fire, IL there is litter
thrown helter-skelter all about 1t, in
a disorderly condition, and the own
er has not enough thoughtfulness to
pile the chunks and clubs, rails and
boards up In an orderly way, the
city may not have the right to COM
mand him In the matter, but he owes
it to the community to do this.
II the owner removes the old
building and then goes to throwing
rubbish where 1t stood and accumu-
ates unsightly litter from year to
year and does not remove or destroy
it, the owner may have the legal
right to keep 1t there within his own
lines, but he owes it to the COM
munity to remove 1t and keep that
spot looking neat rather than dis
orderly. If fellow cuts down an
old tree and it falls across the side
walk and he saws out a section SO
people can pass thru but leaves the
passage narrower than the walk, he
owes it to the community to return
and complete his job, and the city
council not being aggressive will
leave it from year to year waiting
for it to wear out by women's dresses
and baby carriages humping against
it.
When the city council tells people
to clean up and informs them what
to clean and from what to remove
the rubbish, some of the citizens re-
spond by doing nothing and others
respond by piling 1t around where
the council say it must be made
clean. Then there are lot OF re-
sponsive folks who do just what the
council says to do. These folks
would have done that anyhow, so
why have council at all, or having
them, why have them issuing orders
as to what to do, since the people
will do as they please anyway! AS
a matter of fact the council proves
itself a superfiuous appendage in
these matters Of clean up, just as
the vermiform appendix is in the
human; anatomy, and when 1t swells
up and becomes troublesome the
physician cuts it out-the appendix
we mean-nobody cares enough to
cut out the council.
The council may initiate the state
department at Washington and send
another note to the offenders. They
may even say in the note that II
this thing continues, somebody will
be held to a strict accountability, and
then next spring they will publish,
another proclamation. That is the
way it has been going for number
4 of years and the town has grown
accustomed to the bluff. Ii bust
ness man living out at the end OF a
street comes in early when nobody
is using the sidewalk and falls for
the temptation to ride on the Walk
while it is clear and quiet, he is.
fined for it and rightly, but the man
who has a ton of ashes and leaves
in the alley or street, constituting
a menace to every vehicle that runs
that way, is permitted to leave 1t
there.