Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-04-06
''RinRS.''

of al the dIiyel, suffered or printed, none
purely Is quite so puerile as that put forth lust
now for paTtizan purposes to the effect that the
froft To elect republican Territorial Legisla-
lure and Delegate 10 Congress Is in the fhterss
OF some mischieyous and terrible ''ring.D Thiz
stupid stuff, picked up now for political ends,
las Tot even the merit OF originality IL the
familiar old bunker cry sgainst improvements
and the spirit of improvement. With these
people everything is a 'ring" They are too
nsrrOw-minded and selfish to ever spend time
ar money for any public improvements but,
with the Jealousy of all small souIed people.
they busy themselves in maligninp the
motives of those who show some public sp,rit,
Not penny do these hunkers ever contribute
10 any enterprise that will not guarantee them
cent per cent returns, and they pertipaciously
resist every effort to lift the city out of the mud
and make II what it should be as the capital of
'he nahon- III any one IL daring enough to
undertake to improve the condition of affairs
instantly the whole puddle Is vocal with croaks
OF "riDg,' "Tibg!'' ''ring.'; RAILROAD ring,,
''river ring" steamship ring, .wooden rins.-
'canal TinG!" market house ring" "bnildine
ring!' territorial ring ''ring." "ring.'
ring "ehing ling a ring" "ringl ring,
Iingi"
Terribly excited were the puddle.croakers
when few public spirited men made M ga
ing" to establish a steamship line betvsen
Washington and New York. BY great exertion
ard prudent management this enterprise ba,
cen carried out successfully: freights have been
Teduced and regular line to New York main
aimed throughout the entire year, greatly to
the advantage Of our business men who were
previously at the mercy of the monopoly rail-
road line whenever the desultory trips of the
northern owned steamers we're suspended or d.
verted to other ports. But TO this day from pure
force Of habit, the puddle crosksrs keep up.
but rather family, the cry OF steamboat ring
The Metropolitan street railroad, also a
Washington enterprise, carried out under great
dscoursgements and made successful only by
the most careful management, has been Q ter
rible ''riDg" bug bear with the puddle peopse
The Seneca stone enterprise, In which a least
$4,000 has been expended in opening the
quarries to develop an excellent quality OF
building stone at our very doors, has drawn out
the hOaTsest cToaks from the puddle. This en-
tsrpsise, which not Oniy saves at home the large
sums previously Dir aimed from here for the pur-
chase of building stone, but actually feeds some
two thousand people of this District, and causes
the monthly disbursement of from 80 OoO to
$4,000 IN Washington for the benefit of hi.
community, is denounced by all the creakers az
terrible piece OF ''ring" business The Great
Fails Ice Company, who, at a heavy outlay
have provided the machinery and Appliances
for cutting and housing the ice OF this vicinity
whereby employment is given to many people
srd hundreds of thousands OF dollars saved to
The city that would otherwise 90 TO Massaehu-
t'fts and Maine for the purchase OF ice, is
another reprehensible ''ring" affair in the opin
ion Of the crOakers. Two energetic citizers
Joined their resources and erected some four or
five hundred handsome and convenient dwell
n q hnrEas
snd unattrsetfve portions OF the city. giving
employment to large numbers OF mechanics
and lsborers, and sfording comfortable homes
n moderate price to hundreds OF families.
many of whom would otherwise have sought
homes outside the city, and even as far away As
baltimore, TO the disadvantage OF Washington
aud its business. Did the croakers lind any,
thing worthy of praise in this enterpriseo NOT
BIZ OF IL. They were sure they smelt soms
"ring' business In il. What il was they cou,d
Lot exactly say, but there must be somethin,
radically, rottenly wrong about this THROWN,
down OF the old time-hOLOred Rip Van Wrinkle
Iand-maI ks and building up Of whole blocks Of
line house s in squslid thIiftless neighborhoods
so too they sapieDtly suspected some mischiey.
Gus "ring" speculation at the b ottom of the
effort TO establish glass works in Westminster.
and though II was presently developed that the
sole proprietor of the establishment was a much
respected CITIZEN trying in his quiet unpretend
,ng way TO do something TO develope manufac
Turing enterprise in Washington at q heavy AMI
nnremunerstive outlay, yet for the life OF EN- the
Guddle-croakers can't get il out of their noddIas
that-v where there is movement or enterpri.e
there something wrong going on; and thew
will undoubtedly insist that whether ths Glass
Works are owned BY one man or twenty, be ia a
'Iing."
when IN the course Of human events the CITY
dared the fearful plunge of undertaking to pays
some OF its streets, some OF our nsible bus;-
ness men organized a Paving Company; set I'D
= mill In the city for the manufac of WOOD
pavement; got the contract for paving portion
OF fennsylyania avenue, executed their Dor
non We believe to entire satisfaction and NJ a
It'ce not 30 high a. was given for poorer pave
1nert-'- but because they happen to be wash
lngton men, and their money is expendad bers
Tor the benefit of the city. the croakers make
themselves hoarse with their cries about the
wooden ring"
The effort to replace the market house nui.-
ahee py handsome structure, OF course sets the
puddle in comnotion. The moment an attempt
J. made to disturb the moss-co vered Sd eds. with
their yard adjuncts, up goes the howl OF
'Parket house ring" For sixty wears the
cIoakers have not raised hand or been willing
10 risk penny for the erection of q decant
market house, and they allowed the stock under
the present charter to be hawked about All
over the country foy a purchaser, but now that
the enterprise seer likely to succeed they are
ViEidly alive to the immense value of the fran
chise TO the terrible "ring" that holds IL.
And now the new Territorial government ia
AL s"ring project" according to the voice of
ihe puddle. Everybody has deplored the evil
OF the system OF govern ment of the District
cities and the county, whereby half q dozen
eobhicting Jurisdictions and antiquated Ouean.
Anne laws made confusion COMPOUNDED. Int
when leading citizens Of the District unite An
the effort to remedy this evil, and to obtain for
tie District a harmonious, effective soyern-
ment, up comes the parrot cry Of Territorial
Ring"
SO II has been in the past, and 30 we SUPPOSE
IL viii be IN the future until the tribe of the
puddle die ont and their places are taken bv
generation that can appreciate and encourage
Ihe EFFORTS OF large minded, ensrsetic men.
having some pride in their abiding place and
Tie disposition to labor for its Improvement.
But while Washington has no "rinsp or
'tinss to our knowledge, beyond the prooer
1Ld e n TN ate asoociation tovstb.r oS .s..--.