The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-10-13
sPINELEss GOVERNMENT
An open letter to the Town Coun-

/
ing written about in parallels and
discussed by innuendo, and that lie
would prefer TO have direct charges
made agai st the Councils actions.
] have not mentioned Berea's gov
eminent. I have written about an
imaginary company Of irresponsible
ond ignorant men who we're misgov-
c:ning an imaginary city to their
own advantage. But IL the council
man to whom I rcfe. finds his own
likeness among these undesirable in
competents, IL is conclusive evidence
that he knows where he belong
was present at a meeting Of the
Berca Council when the following
ordinance was passed:
The City Council of Berea do or
dain as follows
Sec. ~. That il shall be unlaw-
full and is hereby forbidden to con-
street or maintain an open privy
within the corporate limits Of the
City Of Berea, Ky.
Sec. (2). That all privies now
and hereafter existing shall conform
TO the following specifications: The
pit shall be at least four feet deep
and four feet long and three feet
wide; il shall be walled with brick
or four inches of concrete, and shall
have at least 2'x2'x3O' bleeder filled
with brick bats, one half Of the pit
shall be covered and the other con-
st-ucted with a self-closing trap, and
after the privy is ready for opera
ton, there shall be added one gallon
Of water daily. Specifications for
the Kentucky sanitary privy may be
had from the health department Oh
the committee on sanitation.
Sec. (3). Any person, firm, or
corporation who shall violate this or
dinance shall be fined not less than
five nor more than twenty dollars
for each offense, and every day that
shall refuse or neglect to comply
with the provisions of this ordinance
after ten days notice signed by the
committee on sanitation shall be
deemed o separate offense.
When this matter came up for dis
cussion the different members looked
at each other, and then at the floor,
and then at each other again, and l
seemed to see them gathering cour-
age. At last they were able to look
at each other continuously for a short
time, and ] said to myself, Surely
here is a band Of heroes--they viii
clean up the town." And they passed
the ordinance-unanimously, believe
The ordinance was to become effec.
tive July Is, 1921, and the man who
carries the Councils club assured all
present that he would go after any
man who had the temerity to violate
1T And ! said, "Here is a hero in.
deed! He also will clean up our
town."
Then the word went forth that
every man must take care of his own
filth, and some people obeyed the or.
dinance and built the toilets. The
ether folks did not build the toilets
and many Of them defied the Coun.
Gil to enforce the ordinance. The
|. Council has not accepted the chal-
lcnge.
, | know of twelve people on one
short street who are openly defyinR
b the Council and are maintaining open
b closets every day. II the law were
= enforced the aggregate of these peo-
d pies fines at the lowest penalty would
I he $4,s60.00. II a survey were made
| Of the whole town and all the fines
I collected for the violations of this
o single ordinance, not less than
o Thirty Thousand Dollars would fall
d into the city treasury. But not one
: arrest has been made and not one
3 cent has been collected. Yet this
amount Of money would pay for all
e the tarvia that has been used here
: this year and pay all the towns in.
n debtedness twice over.
n l do not believe that personal finan-
o cial considerations have anything to
o do with this laxity Of government.
a But the fact remains that each mem
Der Of the Council is Q business man.
!. He is in the business of making
!. rioney. Each violator of this ordi-
!. nance is an actual or prospective Gus
q toner of each member of the Coun-
cil-and business is business.
Gentlemen Of the Council, are you
going to enforce this ordinance
Does your rule afford any protection
for the decent people who have built
, sanitary toilets? Are those who vio-
|, late the law the only people deserving
! of your consideration! Do you ex.
2 pect to levy taxes on the best peo-
, rle of the town 10 pay the towns