Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-04-24

cost OF which shall eNcssd the amount estimated
ss.Isi0r w Us siefrsa'd pan. lee ~ Ter centum
The reply TO tbs charge :. First rhat the
Atove cause had - application g. the contracts
mace under The hat million apf,rnfriat on OF
Augus, nth, which VA unlimited in - terms
second That A. The hoard hsd diScrciionar,
AathorEy To vary nom the plan 81 June 2ltf.
Ahd we're only hound % adhe-e the eso a. fai'N
A. might he "prScticahle aud consistent IN
the paehc Interests, ~ Ma a substantial ,,,to-
Inah,e WIN the foregoing rrOV sion oC section
-c The act 81 jgly 18th. ii TIE t.aara .rt.r,a
into no contracts tor any vprk ~ iu,trr,,u.e,r :
~ prices per foot or yard whirt ShouIl rN,c,a
The prices stated I'm u plan. les ~ pcr cent
| In regard 10 the rs, rect im,,-.. r,,, -, A.
! Chanel Ter argued thar the Nprusc, though far--
viii in the end he fully justified Nv t,r hen.T,,
| property holders fn that section. cwutrr -
| Sl6.35l, beng about one-tWeutieth % the p-,p.
| erty ot the District, were entitisi 70 have IN
| Cured Tor their benefit.
OF all the Improvements mad, ~ the boar =
the work on the ith-stres road ms 10 DE- The
most Jusuhable. THIS thoroughnsre. he.ng the
only highway north into Mary lani. m .It.,Iy ~
the District line good macsdam zed -oa = -
tending into that state. In a diSgra ,efri as
almost impossible condition, a. 8 scriacI Ia tue
testimony Of Ii. ID. Carp ent"r, O.. 4. Blair. -.
| John Saul. Il. 4. Swart and - =. Eaton.
IL has been charged that the rnai va repair.
at great cost Nv DAYS work tor po.I''s' r1r-
| poses. IL appears. however, that zee a Uiu
he completed for from Sil5 00l o. o. 80 f |u all
while A. the contract price oi the hoa-i. a.
shown by the estimate of Mr.. y. p Carpenter,
| Mr.. Chandler then reviewed the teSiirn my q
show that the charges that the Tib.f cre-k
sewer will he inadequate % discharge the water
Moving therein, and Also that the work Is 0t IN
ferior construction, paid ter At large price.
and that the Slash run sewer gas 81 Inferior
construction, were disproyed by the evidence.
In relation 20 the Washington capa'. he aid
The action Of the Board OF Public Works IN
| filling the cana hss been the satiact OF mach
testimony. The eNPeGieucy OF hi.ing il cannot
| he doubted 10 was opened seventy year. ago.
more or less. before railroads. steam powrf Is
locomotives we're invented. aud when "a f.s
were believed to b. designed tor the grea bee
land highways OF the world. Thirty wear %
the canal lost all its commercial imporf ...
and IL has since been a dithv. psStiferous a ID.
endangcfing the health OF the CITY. The n. r...-
] sity OF doing something ca destroy tins ale
nuisance has led IN times past 10 earnest et.,.,
to have II GTedSed out aud kept allied with ial-
! ming water Nearly all the opinions that have
! been given in favor OF dredging the canal hsy.
| been based upOE the absolute necessity OF .i,iu,
something 70 get rid ct the nth. rather thaa
! upon comparison OF the relative merits OF he
! two propositions 10 dredge u or 20 fU IT, Buf
/ when the Board OF Public Works. di>rrsardir.,
! old traditions. had the bOldneSs 20 solve the
! problem by deciding TO I'LL up the ditch. sui
heient advice and authority tor their action
came al once 20 their support The Board ut
/ alth, ON the Sd day Of Nav. ISL. condemned
II as a nuisance. and the action OF the Board Of
! Public Works has been shown % be iui, .iogs
/ by The following witnesses Prof. Toz n anrv
Dr: Il. ). Verdi, DIR. ID. W. Bliss. Gen. %. -
/ Babeock, Crosby =. NoyeS, Thomas Lewis, Do.
/ 9. III. Nichols. DIR. &. 4. Cox, r. p. Bar Sr
VIM. Smith, Henry L. Dawes, William ID. WISE,
! George =. Greene.
The action of the board was legally iustif.bie
| under its authority by acts OF Congress OF JaIy
10, 1870 (l6 stats, 39 sec 81 and OF section l..
1 aotof April 20, 1872, az stats. 49, 90 arch the
| canal and convert u Into a sewer. The greater
/ power always includes the less. and Ia the bparI
/ could make the canal into a GOV red sever u
could, OF course, Ill the canal aud bgilda sewer
/ along its side.
The only serious doubt as to the eSpeAien,y %
! billing the canal grows out OF the fear thar pro-
| per sewers cannot be constructed 70 carry of the
! heavy rainfails in the city; but in the opinion
| OF both scientific and practical witnes-es COM
| versant with the subject, parallel - yer NAV
| be constructed adequate 10 every emergency.
| and conveying the unhealthy sewerage later
| 10 ceep water. IL seems clear that. III fOaB
| necessary, both the Tiber creek sewer ana he
Missouri avenue and B street wers, which are
| 10 take the place OF the canal, can be relieved
| by the construction OF other interceptip.. - A.
ers from all possibility of overflow.
Under these circumstances no one act Of TIE
Board of Public Works more deserves public
| ccmmendation or the approval OF Congre =
| than Its prompt decision TO estermnate from tie
heart of the city the Washington canal nG sance.
| MIR. Chandler then reviewed the test mony a.
| 20 the charges in relation 10 the pavementS of
the city that they are too expensive and are
defective. Cpon all the evidence before the
| committee il seems clear that there can be title
doubt that the hoard prices for payeHleuts were
- low as they could have prudently been estab-
| lished.
On the question chow much will the four rn J.
lion loan accomplish Mr.. Chandler quoted Go
| treaSuTers statement, and said: The board.
Therefore. have not yet exhausted one million .
| the four million dollars at their command. Mr..
| Shepherd has estimated the cost OF completing
| the streets running from Pennsylvania aveuu !,
| nOrihWardly at SEQ, &c. He also estimates
| That SJOo,0uO added 20 this Stsal 600. maxim !.
about one million of dollars, will finish the hear
| of the city. These improvements will not con-
| sumo two millions OF the four million loan. How
| tar the remaining TWO millions. with one million
| 10 he pas by pTOpeTty-hClderS added. vii -
comlllsh in completing the improverna ut 81 an =
whole CITY, II l. impossible accurately 10 deter
| mine. But il Is reasonably certain that cnourh
| will he aocompl shed 20 demonstrate that COM
| prehensiye Plan has been subst antially carried
out, redeeming the city from filthy canals AMI
| pestllential surface drainage, disgraceTal an 4
impassb.e rgadways, and that antelil4yiaa
/ elongated ugiineSS, peculiar 10 this and known
| 10 no other national capital. unless OF A bar-
barous race. How soon IL will be possible 10 60
| beyond the present four million loan aud ma ke
this city in all respects what our nations caui-
| tai should be, will deisend entirely urou A. in
crease in population aud wealth during the next
! two or three years, and upon the justice and
| lberality of the National Congress II j. no
| part of the plan Of the Board of Public Works
10 press improvements beyond the dem gnds OF
| means OF the District, TO unreasonably increase
| debt or taxation, or TO unnecessarily alarm the
| most conservative or sensitive property holder.
| On the question of excessive taxation 4" Mr..
| ChandlcT argued that no error has been or can
| be pointed cut in Mr. Shepherds estimate, and
| quoting the statements Of expert Grant: his
brother, jackson Grant, and his coaCJ utOT Mr..
surely after oh reckless reckonin, AMI
| swearing as has been exhibited In this casa
| by the two Grants aud Thornton Smith aud
| Mr.. Crane, the people OF the District need not
! be alarmed when they hereafter par ade their
| columns of figures TO prove that the District 10
| 70 be ruined by the Board of Public Works.
The only wonder is that they make the whole
cost of paving the streets OF the District as low
as forty or nfiy millions tp. 5g7) The eNcitabl a
| Mr.. Henry ). Davis bests them At this style 81
figuring, tp. AZ and estimates the total cost ct
| paving and sewerage az sos, i2a ,000. an OF
| which he thinks II 10 be taxed against his ursp-
erty by the Board OF Public Works, who. lie
| says, are ''nO better than thieves" anJ hrze
increased the assessment OF his real estate
| $4,000 more than il If worth, but not one piece
Of which will be sell al the assessed price be-
| cause he is a "sort of an old man." and needs
| the property TO lock after"
| That the taxation and debt OF the District "a
not excessive, considering the necessity for i'm
mediate improvements and the growth OF the
capital occasioned thereby, is apparent from
| considering the amount OF taxable property
| footing up SIS .225.6l5.
| With ninety millions OF taxable property. ian
| real estate except eleven millions OF personal
| propertyD the District Indebtedness OF six nil
| lions now existing, or OF eight millions which
| will be the amOuut when the four rnflff1, 49,,