The Struggle to Keep Seattle Clean in 1888

I wish the press would advocate the cleaning up of the public streets," said a prominent citizen yesterday. "The other day two gentlemen from Tacoma were in Seattle, and one of them said: 'Seattle may do more business, but Tacoma keeps her streets in a more respectable condition. I never saw such ill-kept streets in my life.' I told him the debris in the streets accumulated very rapidly, owing to the great number of buildings going up and the great volume of business done on the streets, but he put a quietus on me when he said: 'There is considerable building done in San Francisco and some business transacted there, and yet the streets are kept in a clean and respectable condition.' But seriously, the street commissioner cannot do a better job than employ his force during the coming fortnight, in cleaning the sidewalks and streets of the city. The earth and rubbish upon the walks should be removed, thistles cut down, streets rounded up, and rubbish burned. All over the streets, both down town and up, are fragments and piles of material used in past building operations—lime barrels, mortar boards, carpenter’s horses, shingles, etc. These should be gathered up and burned. From this time on, for two weeks, the town will be crowded as never before. The twenty thousand strangers to visit Seattle will go all over it—on foot, in the cars, on horse and in busses and carriages. It is hard enough to get around many parts of the town at the best, and harder to strangers than to our own people. These difficulties should be reduced to the minimum. One way of doing this is by making the streets more passable. Leaving out the sanitary aspect of the question, the work suggested can well be done for the sake of the effect upon the visitors. If they obtain a good impression it will be of incalculable benefit."