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"hence the ordinance. While the evidence in support of the view that
"this danger is great enough of itself to warrant such legislation is not
"entirely satisfactory, the legislation itself has met with very general
"approval. Spitting on the floor or sidewalk is a dirty habit, creates a
"nuisance, and is annoying to the majority of persons. It is probable
"because it prevents nuisance rather than because it prevents disease
"that the law meets with popular favor. It is, however, usually
"adopted by boards of health under authority to legislate for the
"prevention of disease.
"At present such regulations are found in the cities named below,2 but
"have not yet been incorporated into statute law; but in Indiana they
"have been promulgated as rules of the state board of health.
"Some of the regulations, especially the earlier ones, forbade spitting
"in street cars only, as in Baltimore, Minneapolis, Lowell, Lynn,
"Boston, Cambridge, and New Orleans.
" 'Resolved, That the deposit of sputum in street cars is a public
" 'nuisance, source of filth and cause of sickness, and hereby orders :
" 'That spitting upon any floor of any street car be, and hereby is,
" 'prohibited.'3
"The word spit has in most of the regulations been deemed sufficient
"to describe the act which it is desired to prohibit, but it has been
"further explained in some cities. It has, furthermore, been found
"insufficient to forbid spitting on the floor, and it has been said that
"persons seeing the rule above given exhibited before them, have
"deliberately spat upon some other portion of the car. The Minneapolis
"rule takes note of both these points :
" 'No person shall spit or expectorate, or deposit or place any
" 'sputum, saliva, phlegm, or mucus upon the floor or inside
" 'furnishings or equipments or in any place upon the outside, or
" 'upon any platform of any street car while the same is in use
" 'upon any of the streets or highways in the City of Minneapolis,
" 'or in any manner defile or pollute the floor, furnishings, equip"
'ments or platform of any street car while in use upon any of the
" 'streets or highways of said city.'4
"Most of the more recent rules forbid spitting in any' public con"veyance.'
Among the conveyances mentioned are 'street cars,'
" 'railroad cars,' 'ferry boat,' 'omnibus,' 'hack,' 'carriage,' 'vehicle,'
" ' steam car,' and 'steamboat."
* Boston, Baltimore, Buffalo, Brookline, Cambridge, Colorado Springs, Columbus, Cleveland,
Cincinnati, Camden, Denver, Dayton, Fitchburg, Fall River, Hartford, Indianapolis,
Jersey City, Kansas City, Louisville, Lowell, Lynn, Minneapolis, New York, New
Orleans, Omaha, Peoria, 111., Rochester, Springfield, Q., Salem, San Francisco,
Scranton, Seattle, Trenton, Waltham, Worcester, and Washington, D. C.
3Lowell, Report of Board of Health (1898), p. 36.
4Minneapolis, Ordinance of 25 June, 1897, Sec. 53.