National Republican., 1874-05-29

| OF faith, pledged that these sewers are and
shall be held and dealt with as being general
improvements, whose cost shall "be borne by
the treasury Of the District"
So much for the fact Of these sewers being
"manifestly and paipabis general in their
| 9. Next, as to the assertion that Congress,
at the date Of this sewerage act, june 70, 1873,
had not decided what improvements were gen
eyal and what local and had not decided which
ofthe two the sewerswere, counsel are equally
unfortunate; for both Congress and the Legis-
lature had most eHectuslly decided that they
should be geperal.
The feurnlliion loan act in Its frst section aP..
i proprtates -four millions OF dollars" =
"for the Construction and repair Of sewers" &C.,
(sec. ~ and ~shsll be charged against the cities
Of WWasSh,ingson "a and George,Swn and the & county
nents thercin' and by the 9th section Of said act
it s declared these sewers should be paid for out
isnsia and dSS not 4 In Sehaf Of I sewer disPiot Or
| their Taxpayers And TO pay said bonds, for the
many words, declares "ths faith OF the govern
4 ment Of the District of Columbia IL hereby
PIsdgsd and Sy section ss payment q the
provided for by taxes "levied and collected upon
in the cities Of Washington and Gsorsetown, and
in the county OF Washington In proportion to the
improvements which shall be made therein, !" thus
1 expressly making the sewers and their coat gen.
eral, and not local, or district, or ward improve
4 And on the sth Of May, 1877, Congress enacted
that this act "be, and the Same IS hersby, ap-
4 proved, ratified and confirmed"
And thus both the Legislature and Congress
have expressly, unequiyocally and completely de-
! cided the general sewerage Of the cities to be
4 general improvements, taxable upon the city or
cured by Issue Of tho bonds Of the District, So
| cured in their payment by the pledged faith OF
the District OF Columbia. And remember this
8. Again, the authorities OF this District have
dealt with these sewers as general improve
ments, not merely in their tplan,r and in the law
also in their management of the debt OF four mill
lionssand all others prior to the date Of the sew
raised for the Improvement Of the cities. Every
where It will be seen that such sewers are dealt
rn.sd Z; tSsp R aaS sse dsSsa
the Distrct-an example OF which Will be found
| on page "A Of the Governors answer. ...-
vide the cities and county Into sewerage Districts
and to tar them for sewers as local improvements,
District government to 'spledge its faith and
credit" for the amount Of the assessment certIi-
Gates. otherwise than by issuing to "bsarer" and
| selling two million one hundred and twenty
thousand dollars in certificates Of Indebtedness,
dvest this transaction of the character OF debt
Of the District within the mischiefs Of the act Of
Although have already shown that upon OBJ
vious principles Of Interpretation and Of reason,
hibted by this seventh section, yet beg to add
| other endorsements ofthis position.
section Of the act Of sth Of May, IsT2, expressly
includes in the ten millions, making up the maxi
mum Of debt, debts which can never be assessed
therefore. By the express words Of the seventh
section, the fact that these sewerage taxes are
DS oply on an and p does
not prevent their being debts within the mischieis
| ofthe seventh section.
2. lfthe District government may tax Wash
ington and Georgetown for this sewerage with
out making this Q debt, then 50 may they the
county, outside Of these cities for sewerage IN the
county, and thus you have the result that the en-
tire District is taxed for sewerage BY tax as
sessment extending through Ave years-(snd ifit
tended through hfty)Imlliions in amount and in
that thing shall be held 70 be only a ''dobt due
Of the District" and not debt Of the District.
g. The proposition Of counsel that Q tax assessed
40 psSsSs q dapnT psd
years, and this anticipated by the sale Of certif
Gates Of assessment liens upon the entire taxable
district is exposed to summary tax sales, is not
debt within the prohibitions OF this seventh sec
ton, merely because bonds were not also issued.
and defiance Of every rule Of interpretation to
4. But It is not true that the District has not
issued its bonds, or equivalent obligations, for
this sewerage tax.
This Government has gone to the money lender
seventh section Of the sewerage act, payable to
.'bearer," signed BY Its sinking fund commits
upon thems Borrowed millSnsp nj Of money. anu Thsy
name no property: They are the debt Of no in
dividual citizen. They designate no taxpayer or
in terms nor BY hint attempt profess or sIiude to
an an assignment OF any specinc tax; debt or lien.
Sas fSS Of hs
and who received the money they promise TO re-
pay, or else they are nothing.
Now, In all fairness submitlt is not the mere5t
subterfuge to say Of such q device as this-thuS
covering over the entire people Of this city with
debt, extending through years at high rate. Of
not redesmable by this Government until the
years they have to run have expired and all these
debt Of this District within the "mf.chIef" meant
to be prohibited BY 7th section OF the act Of Con-
gress Of 1872? / can conclude this point IN the
already quoted from the highest sources Of tho |
law: that "the laws restrain and punish, not only
words but Likewise everything that Is directly OF
Indirectly against their intent although It seem
to have nothing contrary to tho terms Of the law,
a% or al'S to sG9e 'ha' zone In fraud OF the
Ths spectacle before you Is another "plann 1t |
s the plan" Of issuing and selling ccrtihea es Of
the money-changers Of Wall street, at severe dis.
counts and high rates Of interest, and on years OF
o o1sdST. SH 6 sSy P.. e.
tsS IN:
Of the property taxed, and until 1t Is literally
the nation so low that in proportion as It's own
and SesrS ahon hTh
fatten and Its contractors flourish.
,ss ,o ,ss that HS credit
and notwithstanding the very last Congress con-
tributed, In attempted rescue Of that credit S.
rom the cuiSstons bPoEsr to the obSy shpSstsr
and from the ahyster to the broker at half fits face
And then the erowning excellence Of this "plan"
put in debt TO extents threatening oonfiscatIon
and insolvency. yet that impalpable abstraction
called sths District" Is mag1iassntly out Of debit
Governor and Board Of Public Works equally
and wondrously concrete, and one able to make
crete "oplnions,n assuring them that the entire
people Of this District may, by their rulers be
70 tas ysTSs
and eereIely 'out of debt" and all this accom-
plished by the neat and quite process Of not put
sewers. =
Now, Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen Of the COM
mittee, to you and the Houses Of which you are
admonish you that this great people, of which
your houses are the mere organ and breath, saw
tire people debt unto fSs verge Of Universal Ts
disaster and ruin, while their "Dlstrict" is "out
Of debt, is contriyapce,a device, shameless
and one which shall cousgu its contriVers TO ban
ishment from the places they have 30 wantonly
abused.
MONEY CONTRACTS.
I now turn to another most gravo and inexcus-
able disregard and defiance OF law by the District
authorities, which has characterized their whole
history, and has resulted IN an Immense disaster
tothe credit Of the District. A vitality important
provision Of the thirty yseventh section OF the or
ganic act Is In these words:
"And the Board of Public Works sl Ill have no
power to bind the District to the payment Of any
sums OF money except in pursuance OF approprla-
tiOns made by law, and not until such appropria-
tions shall have been made"
The meaning OF this provision is clear and un-
mistakaole and was manifestly designed TO pro-
hibt any public work being adopted or contracted
for, the necessity and character of which had not
been previously approved and authorized by law.
bindIngly or finally decide what public works
should be made, and to give the determination OF
this to the Legislature however large or small
tho improvements were, and whether It were Q
local or general one. 1t expressly covers every
work costing money, and whether the money come
from local or general taxation.
The gist and spirit Of erequirement Is to COM
pei evory work costing money to be specifically
submitted to the Legislature, so that its neces-
sty, character and cost may, In advance of any
obligation for It's making, be scanned approved I
and appropriated for, and that the Contract
shall be one authorized and made sin pursuance
specifically defined public work. II was meant to
do, In protection Of the taxpayers Of the District
against oppression by this board, precisely what
the proviso at the end Of the appropriation act Of
sth January, 1878 (1f u. s. Stat, 1851 doeA In I
protection Of the Government property, and which