Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-06-03
How In This for High

be. When we reflect that our pruperty-holders
paw no. nsOre uaH O-se-hdD as much on the hun
bred dollars as those Of other cities, AMI even
small towns, In other portions Of the coautry:
when We consider that our streets and ave sues
are at least double the average width OF those
OF any other city IN the Union; that sndrcsiy daV
Of tten had been secsrsd. paUed or lieAted before
Dir. Bowen was elected Mayor; that fc1 schools
and schoolh0useS then existed; that street s,ceep
ing aud dlisy-cIS11in1 was thing almost IN
known; and that more miles Of these wide
streets have been graded and graveIed, more
tag 1Ootwsys laid, more sewers constru ctsd,
more alleys graded and paved, oil at corporations
e1penss, during the two years OF hts administra-
tiOn- than were done during the sixteen wears
previOus-it will not, we are quite certain, be
thought that more money has been raised than
has been judiciously and prOftably expended.
But even the responsibility OF "hiQh taxes" IL
objected TO, does not rest with Mayor Bowen.
The Board Of Aldermen and the Board OF Gem
mon Council hx the rate of tax alton and levy the
tax. They also pass laws requiring streets to be
graded, sewers TO be constr ucted, payements to
be laid, schools to be opened, school-houses to
be erected, bridges 70 be built, and all other i'm
proyements TO be made, and the Mayor is but TIE
tnstrhmeRt to ereetae tk>se ldics lie h1s no dis
eretiOn IN tie fter."-Chroniels.
The Chrvniele Is a willing tool In behalf of
Bowen, but its ignorance OF our local affairs
causes that high-toned Philadelphia paper to
founder about most delightfully."- when it under
takes to treat upon them.
What shall be thought of the intelligence of
iDgtOnians that scarcely any Of our streets
and avenues had been severed, paved or lighted
before Mr.. Bowen was elected Mayor" that
"fev schools and school-houses then existed"
that more this work has been done during
the two years OF his administration than were
during the sixteen years previous" and that
all this work is done lat Corporation expense?''
Such ridiculous laundering scarce merits
serious consideration, but for the benefit of
strangers uniformed in our affairs, and igno-
rant of the status of the Chronicle, we may say
LIST. That not a street IN the city has been paved
since Bowen was elected. In the time of his
predecessor, a general system OF street-paying
had been entered upon, and permanent stone
payements were laid down in street, II street
"A street. 9th street, 9Th street, 18th street. and
numerous other streets. When Bowen took the
Office al this class Of perm1nep, improvements
was instantly stopped, and the money Of the
corporation was diverted to dirt-jobs. to cutting
holes IN banks on streets leading nowhere In
the outskirts Of the city, for the benefit OF the
ring Plunderers, and to enable him TO electioneer
Tor q reelection.
ID The amount OF sewerage put down In
Bowens time bears the most infinitesirnal mo-
PORTION to the general work of sewerage err
ecuted previously; and most that has been lone
by his ring contractors Is so defective that II
viii need 10 be replaced.
Sd. Literally nothing has been done by Mr..
Bowen IN behalf OF our Public Schools In fact
our Public School system has had most des-
Pefate struggle for existence during Mr.. Bowen's
administration. He has deliberately nissan
phed the School Fund, which ought to be kept
sacred, 20 his OWE partizan purposes; and while
his corrupt ring have been filling their pockets
with the spoils, the school teachers have been
LEFT unpaid, and the corporation has been sued
Ior the very furniture OF the school rooms the
DIS Tor which Bowen has left unpaid; while the
COOKS, the Morses, the Gleasons, the Himbers.
ana all the rest Of the plundering gang have got
me money taken from the School Fund. Hs
oulid school houses and establish schools,
where are the buildings? Where are the
SCHOOLS? IL Is notorious that Mr.. Bowen,s
entrance upon authority was followed bv
an Instant check upon all expansion of
our school systematic erection of new
buildings or the opening of new schools.
Inc Wallach School Building had been com
Pieted anu was out Of his clutches, but the tine
rranklin School Building was not occupied;
ana II y well known that he desired to sell II IN
the government and Use the money for his own
purposes And II vAs only by the strenuous
enorts OF the friends OF our public school system
that ne was bsfiied in his design 70 convert into
Bowen funds that magnificent structure. |
Planned with 20 much care tor school Furnaces
NE interest himself in our public schools,
When did the demagogue trickster ever
enter school-room, or attend An exsm,na-
ton, or show any Of that selicitous inter-
EST In the welfare OF our schools exhibited by
liz Predecessors in Office? His sole positive act
N ard 70 our schools has been to cripple
hem by creating the needless Office of Superin-
tendent Of SCHOOLS in order to make a fat place
for favorite, who has been in constant col
lisaon with the capable Boardof Trustees, to the
great detriment Of the school system.
4th. A good deal of fOot-pzving has been done
in Bowen's administration, for the simple reason
that 1t is paid tor BY the property holders, who
nave been bled most yiIlainously by Bowen's ]
rsne contractors, and without any chance of
redress. The law requiring the contracts TO be
given to practical PAYERS and to the lowest bid
ders has been wantonly violated by Mayor
Bowen, and the Jobs given in secret to the mem
bers Of his ring. The work of laying sidewalks
has been wretchediy done by these ring con-
tractors, and in almost every instance the pro-
perry holders win be compelled to have it re-
laid properly, al heavy expense 1t Is odd that |
the vretched foot-walk jobbing now being car
ried on 50 extensively, and which the property |
holders hare to pay for, should be brought up |
as an argument in Bowen's favor.
9Th. Ii viii be news TO the people of Washing |
ton that any "street-sweeping'' has been done !
BY the Bowen administration.
eth. IL win be news to the people or Washing |
ton that the work Of making sewers, OF paving |
alleys, OF lighting the streets, of laying foot
walks, and Of laying water mains Is call done
at corporation expense" The current idea has /
been that under the Law all this kind OF expense
Is assessed on the owners OF the property bor- |
dering.
eth. The statement that the Mayor nhas no |
discretion in the matter !" and must execute all |
that the Councils enact in the way of expendi |
ture bills, u mt climax to tue Chronicles string
OF plumbers. Ii h safe say that there are now
on the corporation statute-books unexecuted,
laws calling for the expenditure Ut not less than
ten millions Of dollars The lower Board, at q
single session, lately passed bills appropriating
more than the entire income or the city for two
years to come. Does the Mayor mean to exc
cute al these laws? No Mayor ever pfetends 1
to execute hundredth part of the so-called
bilis'' that are rushed through
the Cooncils by the eart-load. And Mr. Bowen
only executes those that afford An opportunity
20 make voters for himself. ,.gfF- 81
Finally We may say that tue people DO not
object t. proper expenditures OF the public
rnorev FIR rarmanant imr royemanfs hut tbav