Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-08-08

well-guar1ed legislation. think great injus-
tice Is done them by any one who asserts that
they have private or personal ends to accom-
plish without regard to the public good. But you
ask me what is to be done. I answer, make tenn
Porary Isoyision, by legislative enactment, for
question of a loan to the people. IApplause.l
The law provides for this, and ifthe people APP
prove, 1 suppose our friends who resisted the
issuing Of bonds would cheerfuliy acquiesce
Our bonds would have additional value, and we
would have, what i believe has never been had
here, the voice q the people directly expressed
upon the question Of District Improvements. /
have some plans in my mind for Congressional
aid of the District which l hope to be able to
urge with the approval OF all the people. 1
believe TO be successful We nnst have some re-
port 70 make of progress under our new govern
slent. When look about me here snd see the
different elements composing this vast audience,
people, striking hands in a common effort for
advancement, / know that shall have a good
account to render, aad that reciprocal feeling
will spring up in Congress to respond for the
people of the whole country to our petitions for
cooperation in making the nations capital the
nations pride. lAPPlaGse.]
JUDGE FISHER.
Hon. George z. Fisher, u. s. Attorney for
this District, was then introduced. He said two
years ago he heartily favored the change of
government which would give the District pow
er to make necessary iDnoy atiOns, and the same
motiy es which impellod him then are un Changed.
GAPpause.l Brother Wylie has decided the
case against ns-and when he said Us, he Ineant
himself Fisher as weE as all others. But he
held that it was the bounden duty of all good
citizens to stand by the law. IApplsuse,1 He
knew there was no better friend to the Distrjc ct
than Judge wylie. The speaker thought the
advice Of Gen. Chapman should be followed, and
immediate means be provided. An Immediate
appropriation should be made, and after that we
could 90 forward and ask not for three or four
million, but whatever the people of the District
should see fit to order. If Congress had ham
Pered OF fetteTed the Legislature of the District
let us go to them and ask for n chance but let
US go in accordance with law. [Applause.J
The next speaker was
SENATOR STEWART.
He said he preceiyed that the people of the city
wese in earnest, every citizen OF Washington
expected this to be great city, and it ought 10
make up a large city. Railroads leading to il
woulS soon be completed. DuriIg the war II
was the objective point, and hundreds OF thOus-
ands of lives were sacrificed to preserve it. The
il was somewhat improved in the last few years.
You hear speeches in Congress about the capital
he did not think it would be. [ASplause.l
If they were going to make the city desir-
able, and the pride OF America, the citizens
must lay hold and help. He thought Congress
should lay hold and help and pay taxes en- the
Government property the same as the citizens
are assessed tor, and he believed il would when
little life was shown on the partof the citizens;
but when Congress saw they were making no
efforts towards improvements, they had very
little disposition to do much. About the tx
junction he did not know whether it gas right or
wrong He did not think it would stop work
but the citizens must go to work improve and
beautify the city il they wished to have il at
tractive, but TO do this they must incur debt
all cities have done the same before-but obtain
the funds and then apply them. [Applause.l
He urged all to take pride and work together,
and have plan in which all would be interested,
and Congress will help, and the people of the
country would cry out, help Washington, it is
the capital of the nationt Wake up; 90 to
work Let every dollar raised go to beautify
and advance the city. The citizens of other por-
tons of the country would come here and in
vest-some had done so-but don't have these
Questions springing up: With slavery abol-
ished. Washington disenthralled, cast ignored
why it would be the freest and greatest city i'm
the world-a new era has Standardization has
come. Wealth and enterprise were directed to-
wards this city, and all that was necessary was
for the citizens 10 DISPLAY ENERGY and antarrr;so
TO aid in carrying the good work forward.
SENATOR POMEROY
followed. He said he owned property here and
was tax payer, but still entertained a hopeful
view Of the case. He thought, with al1 due
Difference 20 Judge Wylie, that his decision was
in their favor. eappreherded that the shortest
and quickest way to progress was to let that
question come to the people in the next thirty
days, and for them to settle il. [Applause.l If
they decided in favor of the bonds, they would
always be good, no matter who administered the
government He bought some property and
judged OF its value by what he saw on the asses
sOrs book, but found the owner held it at a triple
valuation. There can be no reputation about
the bonds if, after fair election, the citizens
should sustain their issue. He did not know
whether the resolutions were going to recon-
mend the election or not, but if it were done,
then they could not get back of their votes In
that way a government would be organized
strong and powerful. The money would be adj
yaneed, the Improvements 90 on, and the labor
ers have work. lApplause.1
Mr.. A. Il. SHEPHERD,
Of the Board of Prblic Works, was then intro
duced. and spoke as follows:
FellOw-citiZens: We in the midst of stir
ring times in this our District. The question is
whether TO stand still or 90 ahead-whether we
are TO prove ourselves worthy of retaining here
the capital of the nation, or, failing in this IL
We are TO relapse into mere provincial city.
Congress, believing that with the opportunity
We would show that, once freed from the embar-
easements OF the past, we would build up place
worthy the capital Of great nation, swept
away the obstacles which had impeded our
energies. and clothed our people with ample
powers fOr our material Advancement. To be
sure there we're those among us-old fOgies
men welded 70 ancient notions and customs
who, knowing shat in the ''new departure"
they must be ssept away by the current of
progress, earnestly opposed the Change. Fortu-
nately for US, they were unsuccessful in their
efforts, and the cOmbiEeu wisdom of the nation
deciding against them, gave US a new form of
government. having successfully launched it,
Our people at once prepared 90 Justify the ex-
pectatiOns Of the legislators OF the nation as -
our abilities to rule ourselves when 10 the same
element brings Us before the courts. And why?
They say that they arc in favor of improve
ments, but that they are willing only to grant
II 500 eco to enable the Board of Public wOrk,
TO cary them mo effect. We, in reply, declare
that, as business proposition, no man under
takes TO cary out large andpermanent scheme
without first providing means for its entire full
flment. Under the old municipal government
the practice was to waste annually from one
half to thTee-fourths OF a million dollars in be-
giruing work which was never finished, and
which, for the benefit OF contractors, was thence
forth patched from year TO year. The Board of
Public Works, impressed with the belief that
they were selected for the purpose of establish
ing and carrying out a permanent plan OF i'm
proyements, insisted upon appropriation
sufficient to guarantee the successful completion
of all the works upon which they had agreed,
not wishing to depend upon the contingency of
yearly appropriations. The question really is,
whether the people of this Distriet-sye, the
people of the whole country-shall in this re-
spect control the seat of government, Ga whether
seventeen very respectable gentlemen shall say
TO the one hundred and fifty thousand souls here
resident, " This much shall you spend, and no
more; thus far shalt thou go, and no farther.'
You shall continue the same old patchwork
system which has rendered the nations
metropolis a disgrace and an eye-sore at home
and bye-word and reproach abroad.
You sail continue 10 drive over uupayed streets
and exposed ravines, and be as successfully lost
in the binding dust as was Elijah of old in the
clouds which enveloped him as he assembled into
the sky. Their timid souls saw that at last they
were TO stand taxation like Others, and that al
though rascally figures, which did not lie, showed