Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-02-05

Reading Matter on Every Page.
WASHINGTON CITY:
MONDAY..........--. 5, 1872.
A Dear Boon.

The District government undoubtedly have
reason TO be grateful to the knot of anti i'm
Irovement mischief-mskers for the opportu-
nifty OF repelling their accusations before a
Congressional committee. These charges of
fraud, peculatiOn and extravaganza have been
made by these men in various forms, but never
before in a shape to be met fully and squarely
byevidence. The courts, and the people at the
late election, to be sure, have branded their au-
thOrs falsifers, but their failure to establish
before the District Committee a single point of
their sweeping charges is so ignominious that
they stand eOnspicuously and utterly disgraced
Already they abandon the charges of corruption
and fraud, and only allege extravaganza
and a scheme of improvement on a
scale ruinous TO taxpayers. And yet
these persons who assume TO represent the
taxpayers are not taxpayers themselves.
They have never spent dollar for the improve
ment % the city, and the amount OF their in
fiuence with the property holders may be gagged
by the fact that with the most persistent drum
ming they have been able to collect less than SIS
towards paying the expenses OF their "investi-
gation," They are mainly a set of floating adj
yenturers in guest of offices and contracts, having
10 identity, whatever, with the city or its inter-
ests. Their views of what is extravaganza, or
what is economy, are based altogether upon the
fact whether they are Elm" or ''out." When
they were sim they thought it quite the econ
Cmical thing TO spend hundreds of thousands of
dollars in such jobs as Severson's ethan
useless canal causeway at Eth street; or in jobs
a. dirt excavation with prices raised for their
benefit from Is cents to 1913 per yard. But
worthless and irresponsible as they are, they
have managed to load the taxpayers of the Dis
uict with Indebtedness 10 a large amount, by
litigation, causing the suspension and delay of
improvements until late in the season, and by
making it necessary to call for special vote of
the people at heavy expense.
But the taxpayers and citizens now have
more special reason to curse these malcontents
for the mischief they may do i'm defeating or de-
LAYING District appropriations by Congress 1t
will be due TO these mischief makers If our
schools fail to get the grant of public lands pro-
Perly their right, as 50 ably urged by our repre-
sentative in Congress. twill be due to the ma
Hgn work of these men If we fail to get appro-
IriatiOns for the improvement of our harbor; to
meet the governments share for improvements
in the District; for a new Jail; for the resump-
tiOn OF work at the Arsenal and Navy-Yard, and
Tor various other objects calculated to give en-
PlOyment to our mechanics and laborers, and to
Cause the disbursement OF large amount of
money here sufficient TO quicken every branch
OF business and industry. If these appropria-
lions are defeated, we repeat, it will be solely
due 10 these pestilent mischief makers and
maTT!ots, who by their falseh0ods and misrep-
RESERVATIONS have furnished the material to
members of Congress inimical to us.-capital-
movers and others who hate the District, to
make opposition to the passage of every bill for
the expenditure of public money here
On the whole, our precious set of malcontents
are likely TO prove a dear boon