Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-08-03

Gsusrsi ChlpmaaT Reply to The Roosevelt
Elandera.

tlamderas
... Iron tho Phliadslphia CITY nsm.l
Abouta month since we received from
friend Violent speech purpOrllng 10 have
been delivered In Congress by Hon. X. b.
Roosevelt OF New York, on the subject Of
frauds In the District Of Columbia, IN which
he compared the operations Of the Board Of
Public Works, In making new Washington
out Of that slow old city, TO the swindllng OF
the Tammany Democrats In tho corrupt city
government u New York. Since then we
have imputed into the facts, aud were about
giving q criticism n full when the reply OF
Gen. Chapman, the Territorial Detegaie In
Congress IRON The District, came 70 hand,
which procludes the necessity for any ex-
tended remarks on the subject IRON the Ten.
Il IL mastery effort, aud should be read BY
all who have seen ths ylndlotlye attack upon
the new spirit u progress which has lately
taken hold Of The people ot Washington,
Mr.. Rooseyeta speech, which was printed
by consent instead OF being delivered In
Congress, has been issued In large numbers,
aud s now being used as Democratic LAD
eral campaign document
As a slgnor OF the minority report which,
though deprecating the course Of the ON
clals, acknowledged that no frauds had been
perputrated by them, this speech u a speoi-
mgn Of the gushing, spOut-olub style Of I'M
certain Oratory. Being opposed 10 all i'm
prUyoment he objects 10 the almost unani-
nous doclsion OF the people that an Improve
ment loan Of a, 900, 900 should be authorized,
He makes pitlful apology for the uuan I'm
ity OF The vote In favor Of the loan, BY al
leylng that somebody, during q part OF the
day Of election, had caused the tickets
against the Improvement loan" 70 dsap-
pear from the polls, though he admits they
were fully resupplied BY Tue officers by two
o'clock in tho day. II there were any re-
spectacle number VI opponents 10 the loan,
why did they not sec " the matter Ot the
tickets and themselves procure large sup
ply In readiness, according 10 tho universal
custom Of all elections In the country This
u mere smiling over the fact that the loan
was universally popular with the people.
Again, he attacks the Improvement Of Sew
entb-streot road, where deep cuts and oxten-
slve iills were made for the distance Of some
lniles and the cost was sl90,OO0, This Is a
large sum for the principal road In and out
Of the city which required grading for the
improvements already scattered through the
entire length Of the rad improved, but tlfe
uufalruess Of this speaker IL shown BY the
| fact that he compared the cost OF making
the road bed with that OF building roads on
level ground, and stated that II might have
been put In good order for el,OOO, In the
course Ui more than a page OF his pamphlet,
/ wherein he denounced this improvement Us
fraud and extravaganza Of tho greatest
luiqully, be never stated that there was any
/ grading done. Why2 because his speech
was IN 10 abroad for buncombe, and he could
thus manufacture an appearance OF SOME
thing wrong out Of Que Of the best aud most
necessary improvements which VIII soon en-
able washingtonians TO live In uoat suburban
residences made convenient " The city by
means Of horse railway aud all the com
forts Of City life. This is now become no
/ cessity for every city that deserves the name
The reply Oi Guneral Chapman has Just
been printed. Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr. Crebs
slgued minority roporton the inyeatlga;
ll0n OF charges agAlnat 1ha new Territorial
government Of the District. Tbls report al
legged no fraud against tno authorities, but
| simply charged extravaganza and waste, yet
/ the speech OF Mr. Roosevelt Is put forth uu-
/ der thls caption, "Frauds OF the District,
aud Is manlicstly gotten up for use Of The
/ Democratic party away IRON the latitude
| where the facts aru understood. In the
tweuty-fOur pages Of reply General Chapman
has thoroughly ventilated the puerile chAraC-
ter Of this effort TO stay enterprise and i'm
prOvement In the national metropolis. He
| points out the fact that Mr.. Roosevelt was
absent most Of the time when evidence was
being heard for the defence, and declared,
| when II came TO this, that he did not want
10 hear any more testimony
He shows by the evidence coplously quoted
that the proof was exactly opposite 10 the
most important deductions Of this somewhat
too easily persuaded Judge, and that by spo-
cial pleading and the selection OF garbled
testimony from 800 pages OF quesiions add
answers not 200 OF which Is admissible eyl-
dence, or II so Is worthless upon It's face, a
political document may. be ooncOcied without
| a modlcum of truth and fairness In II. lie
has given tho negative 10 all the objections
raised against the Board Of Public Works by
the testimony Of wituvsses belonging TO both
the Republican and Democratic parties, and
has cOnclusiyoly shown that the greatest
amount Of care and the strictest regard 10
economy was practlccd by the Government
officials that The circumstances permitted
with the exception OF the large amount
charged for advertising by some oil the paper
Of tho District which was condemned by the
majority report.
He says mo man who says the Improve
ments In this District are more Injurious
than beneficial can fiud many 10 believe him.
We hear Of this new Washington wherever
We 20, and the whole people are awakening
10 a new interest In their scat OF Govern
monLp He closes with q suitable appeal Il
the ObstructlOnists, now that they have kept
the District Of Columbia Ia hot water for
year, and Incurred enormous expense by
their Investigations, only 10 meet a signal
and utter defeat, 10 cease tholr Obstfnellonl
and opposition, and allow the city OF th,
nations capital TO be what lis founders mani.
testify intended II should be.