Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-12-16
aims Of the District on the National
Government
ErCH OF GENERAL CHTrMAs ~ rms HCCsE
On sATEEnAN.


erAl Chapman, our delegate in gress. ia tao
House of Representatives on SATURDAY. in favor
Of = c appropriation asked for BY the board 81
Iubiie works, vas published In thc pEocec iiugs
10 saturdays STAR. After an abe rcvies or
the relations between the United States snI
Il District Of Columbia, quoting Seastar
Southard's report IN ISIS referred q IN rHs
STAR not long since. also snotng the report 1T
the House Committee on ptstrtct = q .irs. A. tn
last sesS' y, the Gens raj roccedel 70 cAN ap'n
THE RESOLUTION rAssEo ny THg HnIsE,
sking for; first, report uppn the ure~ent feh'
OF lie District; second, the hAhili Vs. iurrrraf
% me board OF public work., ami tairi. the
sum required 20 anisa the WORK undertaken %
the BOARD. After giving the ofecial aslres A.
| 20 the hTSt branch Of the IN luiry he con-lugal
by Saying''we have the present dc ID OF the D,s-
trlct ~ lie, IL -. which shows dlmiuat,..n OF
| the debt since last winter OF SNS,t-s12. Giving
| the Official figures a. 20 the second branch ~
| the inquiry be said. all we consider A. ~
must, the subsequent Liabilities incurred. -
which have alres ~ called attention, TO "
s2io 67a-s2, IL will leave a balance against the
hoard OF 50, ~ =. Ii tie amount a-kef Tor IN
the b u before the House he considered a an
asset. II will leave the resources 81 the hoarf
~ ,l52 AS -, which will be ample q comple'c
the work undertaken by the board. Thus an
sSeTs the third inquiry OF the resolution which
am considering a. ~ the sum necessary g..
co mUlete the improvements.
Examination OF the public records Of a..
country Will show that siuce iSOe the gencrrf
government has expended tor the i'm prOvemer.
OF our streets and avenues ~ 23i .eSS n. u
has expended as 92I ,7ss IS. or the citizens Ia
paid ninety per cent, and the government O..
per cent, and leave out OF this cofnputat #.
nearly - 0oo, eo0 which have been expen les
Georgetown and the county OF Washington
Yet, Mr.. Speaker, the United States a. .,.
shall see before finish, owns, and has own
not less than two ftths OF the city OF Wash
ton.
Perhaps may as well here A. elsewhere !.
IN tabular form the value Of real estate helG
the United States in Washington city:
I al "a NssF
vstlons estimated by commission IN 1870, an .-
Costof the public buildings erected
on the above grounds, obtained
from the appropriations made
Tor the purpose TO date. ............. 80 5ls AIS
Totsl............ 46.7sl..st 3.
,. The present value OF the ground of g..
above reservations IL estimated at...s25 .0Oao .
3. The amount paid by the government Tor tss
above reserY atiOns 81, 099.
4. The government was dOnsted every al
nate lot, or altogether 1916 lots, having ~
area OF 65,6Ss,isO SQUARE feet. Estimating he
present average value OF the same at atty cents
lots So, S4i ,240.
To clearly give an idea Of the Improvero '-'s
made, statements from the reports ot the 49,
OF public works of ISL is submitted; the TAGS
aud figures contained therein have heretofore
been laid before the readers of rHESrAR i'm
these columns The statement shows that under
the operations of the board III Is miles of car
risgewsy has been laid at a cost Of e. OSI si67s.
H. a
S5io, 1880. A comparison H. then made between
work performed by the Old corporation and the
board OF public works, showing that the latter
have made the better Improvements AMI
cheaI est.
/ have been Ask ed Alec hy members whether
these imlEoNent nts arc not enormously adding
TO our tax, As they cannot conceive how
such stupendOus work can 20 ON without that
result. answer. that our general taxes TO -day
| are ten cents less than during one OF the wears
~ he Ia nj ash "a
now pay one dollar and seventy cents upon the
| enc hundred dollars. With il we are uayiuy
the sinking fund upon the four million loan,
! with which 70 gradually discharge the prln-
cipai. We are paying the interest arOn that
loan, We are paying interest upon the old debt
| OF the old corporation, together with the sink
| ing fUnd necessary 10 discharge 4 large portion
OF the principal; We are paving the isere~t aud
sinking fund OF our water and market bond;
| IN short, we are carrying ON the whole mt-
! Chinery OF the government, paying its debt
| grR1uaily and making all these Improvements.
without increasing the taxes one penny. n -
true that property OF the District by a late
valuation las been increased about ten nil
| lions; yet a. the same time we have taken on
taxes from personal property which u valued AZ
eleven millions. 1 assert, Mr. Speaker, that
such result In municipal government cannot
| be pointed out In any other city OF this Union.
While was making my last canvass before
| The people OF the District, 1 was met wi n a
state ment that the improvements being made
| by the board could not be completed At a cost
less than $50 U0l, 900, aud some orators estimated
| II at SC0OO,0J0. Without knowing anything
certainly about IL myself, a. l have had no con
| nection whatever with the board OF public
works in carrying out IFS scheme Of improve
menis, felt that could with great comb ten e
ASSUME the people that all these estim stes we're
wild and visionary. did not then have the in
formation from which 20 make positive asser-
tons. as ! now have; but 1 could only RELY on
my confidence in the integrity and ability OF the
| gentlemen who have control OF these improve
ments And now, MIR. Speaker, we nni this
vast system, which casual observers think, in IA
magnitude, mus cost AT least so eco go, has
beer completed, or can be, within the amount
Appropriated by the District OF Columbia, when
Congress has done ats share In paving tor i'm
pIoEements IN front OF its own property. In
other words, the board OF public works has &c
cOmplished with about IS 600 600 what its enc
mles said could not be done tor S2l,0)o,0la.
Verify, out of the mouths OF those who would
destroy them are they indicated.
REsUMK.
it cannot be denied that, In a work reaching
the doorway OF thousands OF our cit. zens n ~
ting them 10 inconvenience sud expense: in
dec, revOlutionizIng the habits OF our psOpie
somewhat, the Board have incurred enmit.es
and hostiiities which would even pursue them
upon this floor. 1 have, since this m saSure D. a.
been brought 70 the attention OF the committee
on appropriations, seen the track OF several of
these men in the Capitol, who are engaged in
the eN Iaoi dinsry business OF attempting to pre-
THIS lunct ure 10y the defeat OF this bal.
SIR, there as not one of them whose memory
would not be gibbeted aud handed down 10 pos-
tSiAiN AZ duf II us tttne were published 20
me world. What can any member OF Congress
mere think OF one Of our own cit zens who to
crafty little pique toward some person con-
nected with our District government, would
come here and stab the dearests interests or our
people? IL such a person should come 70 me
would turn from him as would from a moral
leper. L would not believe his statements under
oath, much less would allow them TO influence
me in matter OF such fairness aud Justice as
this now before the House. I have no words
with which TO characterize the cOnd act of such
NJ hat
are not many such In this community.
IL has been suggested to me by members on
tiis door that the sentiment OF the people is
against Improvements. There is nothing wider
from the truth. When the question was pre-
senJed 10 the people At the first election under
the organic act whether thew would elect a
delegate in harmony with the lacal govern
ment, which contemplated expensive i-sa
proyements OF the city, they decided ue DO
largest vote ever cast In the District that I'M
proSements should be commenced. Suisse
quently, on the precise question OF authorizing
loan Tor the purpose vi improvements the
vote stood 1900 for IL ADD ,2i3 against il.
Last summer, after these improvements had
been lnaugurated and carried forward toward
completion, upon an issue distinctly male he
lore the pCOBle involving le rharaerar ~ 80.