Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-02-05
THE IOWA VOTER.
Washingten Letter.
WASHINGTON, ID. Co.
Jan. %. 1874.

WASHIN0TON, ID. c.,
Jan. %, 1874.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT
OH COLUMBIA - CORRUPTION IN
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS.
Grave causes OF complaint exist
against the mode in which public af-
fairs ars administered in the District.
The government here IL now COM
posed Of a Governor and Council APP
pointed by the President, and q
House of Delegates elected by the
people. The people elect, also, a
delegate to Congress. Besides these
officials, there is what is called u
Board Of Public Works, the mem
bers Of which, are appointed by the
President; the Governor Of the Dis
trict being ez o6ici0 President Of the
Board. There never has been, per-
haps, since the formation Of the Gov
ernment, Il set of men more unpopu-
lar than are these members Of the
Board Of Public Works, individually
and collectively. And they deserve
that unpopularity; for there IL 40
doubt that they work more jealous
ly, as they certainly do more success
fully, for their own pecuniary inter
ests than for the public good. These
men, with some higher officials In
the Executive Departments, Senators
and Representatives Of all shades Of
politics who have invested largely,
through brokers, in real estate in the
District, and a sprinkling Of large
contractors, traders and other public
plunderers Of the stripe that figured
in the Tanmany Ring, constitute
what Is known all over the country
as the Washington Ring. Judging
from the present wealth of many Of
these men, whose notes for hundred
dollars would have been worthless
before they became connected with
the Board Of Public Works, a few
years ago, and who are now building
100000 houses, putting $50, 900 worth
Of furniture in them, and importing
$1,000 dinner sets from Paris, the
crimes of w. NJ. Tweed, Harry Gen
ct and Richard Il. Connolly, of the
Tammany Ring, shrink down to the
SMALLEST kind Of petty laroenios,
compared with the bold wholesale
robberics Of the Washington Ring.
1t is proper To remark, here, that
If only the people of this District
suffered by the connuct Of these free
hooters, there might be- no particular
necessity for exposing them beyond
the District. But, year after year,
they have been calling upon Con-
gress for Millions Of Dollars of the
peoples money 10 Improve" and
increase the value of the real estate
in the District which they, the MEM
bers Of the Ring, have bought up.
And, as yet, they hare neUsr caited ia
pdi1. This time the Ring wants
-Four Millions more; and, if the peo-
pie do not watcn their Senators aud
Representatives closely, that sum, or
a large portion of it, will certainly
be appropriated; for the Ring has
its men in both houses, bought and
paid for, who dare not disobey its
mandates.
Another annoying feature Of this
whole affair is that while the fact is
notorious to us who are on the spot
that opponents of the Administers.
ton are among the most active mem
beers Of the Ring, all the crimes ii
commits are charged by the OPPOSE
tion Press, far and wide, to the Re-
publican Party. Now, the Republic
can Party has had already quite
enough to stagger under. The Credit
Mobitier affair and the Salary Grab,
although many prominent democrats
were connected with them, were
charged to the Republican Party,
and with some show Of reason, be-
cause 1t had in both houses \ large
majority; and because General But
aer, II prominent member of the par
ty, defended Cakes Ames aud the
Credit loditier swindle ON the floor
OF the House, and WAS the author Of
the obnoxious Salary bill.
Is 1t not time for us, il we would
preserve the integrity of the glori-
Gus old party which has record
such rs no other party in any coun-
try has ever been able to point to, to
put stop to all these sw indies by
men who became Republicans only
when IL was to their interest to do
30, and who, since their connection