The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-05-14
WASHINGTON CRY, May 10.

trite saying, that Washington City was
city Of magnificent distances. To-
day, 1t Is city of magnificent results.
The Governor of tue District of Coium-
bin, Boss" Sheppard. with his Board
OF Commissioners Of Public Works,
has so metamorphosedt the city that its
old friends would not now know it.
They have, indeed, destroyed the IN.
dulations of nature in this uneven
city, and, by leyeling down hills, have
filled up valleys and con 7erted acres of
swamp aud marsh lands into habitable
and valuable building lots. rs it not
old Horace that sings of the discon
tented inhabitants OF Baip and accuses
them of encroaching upon the confines
OF tue sea to procure more building
lots? just SO have the Board of Pub
lie Works dono in Washington. Hills
ill the city hundreds OF yards away
have been dug down, till the streets
were lowered ten, fifteen and twenty
feet, aud the earth carted away to the
potomac marshes, where Professor
Mnury once advised the cultivation of
til. sun-flower to absorb the miasna
That brought chills und fever to the
White House occupants. Through
these deposits of made Garth, new
streets have been projected. Upon
then, new house, have been built,
green swards hnve been set, tue hide
ois oil canal ilas been filed up, it's
entire route bcuutilied, nna to-day
! that formerly miaamntic section is the
most beautiful portion of the city.
But, you ask, what has become of
tho houses that faced those streets
| that were filled up and dug dowuo
They have simply been undermined
and lowered to level with the new
street or elevated and new story
built under thom. Large three and
'our-story brick honscs nre lowered or
elevated OF proppad up until the cellar
can be dug ont and "a story built under
them, without even cracking the pas-
ter. 1ou ask me, how is this ilone2
tell you the modern ArcAimedes is
here, and il be don't prize the Poto-
mac out OF it's channel some day. it
will be wonder.
Gov. Sheppard und his ring" have
made there millions by these hercn-
leuu labors. How, do you ask? 1
need only say "a" buys quag OF a
few acres for u song The Board pro-
lects streets through that quag. and
digs down elevations to fill it up In
few days or weeks thut marsh is
blsectcd by street, trees are planted.
curbstones put down, the street
bitumenized, and "A's" valuable lots
are III the market, and sold for hun
dreds of thousands uf dollars. "a"
is member Of the ring, if not of the
Board. l WAS shown u lot that cost
but few hundred dollars. 1t was
taxed as many hundreds in order to
improve it, The street was lowered
twelve feet and the surroundings beau
tilted at public expense. In three
months one hayf the lot sold for moro
thousands than the prime cost of the
,cho!s and the enormous taxes amount
cd to in hundreds. Oppressive tuzes
and Uncle Sans pocket-book settle all
tho bills. Hence committee of in
vestigation (that barnacla go we'll ap-
preciated at tho South) has been ap-
pointed by Congress, and has been in
daily session, with power to send for
persons and papers," for months.
The consequence will be an o1onera-
ton Of ''Boss" Sheppard and his ring,
and an absorption Of thousands Of the
public money by the Investigating
committee.
With this bright and shining exam
pie before them, don't you think your
city fathers could be induced to raise
tho bed of the Congaree to level with
Main street, so as TO supply the poor
with cheap and pure water? Possibly
it is too late to make the effort. as the
papers here tell us Boss Moses is
bankrupt. Is that so? Yesterday it
was inquired around. "How is it pos.
sib!e for Moses to fail if he stole MS
much al those Democrats say he
stole?' II don't believe it," says one;
lyon can't believe Southern aristo.
crat, says another; "things Amt half
rs bad down in South CAROLINA us
those canting taxpayers would have
us believe, says IL third, and while
they are all saying, say its pity
Moses failed. He'll get the credit now
Of having spent his all nrd given i. TO
tho poor.
To an observant man, there are three
things III Washington very observable.
Fho tirst is small, thin-visaged, pale
faced, b.ack-eyed, sharp.nosea, ihin.
tipped, fair-skinncd, rather graceful
parsonage, that pernmbulatcs the
streets. with black velvet pants or, II
velvet sack coat that buttons down in
front to tue end, :. buck velvet hat mud
feathers on "A iull head of bLrk hair