National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-05-10

change of government after their own
hearts, with which they were perfectly
delighted for some time. They organized
! a Taxpayers - (this is fsvorite name
for tax evaders to take everywhere) Associa-
ton, for the express purpose of counseling,
petting and directing the new government
in their interests. This association passed
resolutions indicating the policy which the
new government was expected to pursue.
A committee was deputed to pre-
sent the resolutions with great
formality and empressemsnt The depu-
ties performed their duties with
becoming dignity and hauteur, and were
received with great cordially and an ap-
parent desire to accede to all reasonable
demands. The first demand was the ia
continent dismi :sal of all clerks and subor-
dinate officers who had served the Board
of Works. When this was refused on &C.
count of its impracticability the jig was up.
The deputies declared that the victory
gained was barren one The investiga-
ton was q failure The new government
was only the old under a new name The
finger of the Boss was visible in each
move! And now these begging obstruc-
tionists, shielding themselves and their
projects behind such names as Corcoran,
Riggs, Gait, Perry, Gunton, &C., indulge
in the following choice language respect
ing their late pets Of the new government:
"The complicated system of government,
extravagant in its expenditures beyond
"an precedent the selecting of strangers
"to administer the government who are
Ignorant of our laws, unacquainted with
our wants, indifferent to our necessities,
land not in sympathy with our people,
"have brought financial ruin and disgrace
"upon the District, impoverished many of
" its citizens, rendered property unproduc-
tive and deprecated Its value, made the
cities of the District unattractive to
strangers as place of permanent resi-
"dence, repealed capital that would other
swise have sought investment in the Dis
trict, and have, ia word, brought prac
teal bankruptcy on the District, to
L" the dishonor of the General Gov
eminent that has the power
"of exclusive legislation over it. "
The names of many of The signers were
obtained by the designing concocters of
the memorial by the following prefsce, to
which no good citizen could object "Your
petitioners respectfully represent that
"they are citizens of the District of Co
"lumbia; that the doubtful political rela-
"tions existing between the District of
Columbia and the Government of the
Omitted States should be determined.
"ascertained and fixed by stable laws; and
"the necessary expense of any future gov
"ernment be justly and fairly proper
"tioned between the General Government
"and the District" When these repu-
table signers discovered the full text of the
memorial to which they had been per-
suaded to affix their names by false repre-
sensations, they fastened to disclaim by
letter to the Commissioners the anthem
ITCHY of any such allegations of misconduct
and ignorance on the part of the present
government or prayers for further inyestl-
CATION in their names. 1t is now patent to
the minds of all the intelligent and enter
prising property holders of the District
that the lies and misrepresentation of
these chronic grumblers and obstruction
lists have done more injury to trade by keep
ing capital from investing here and driving
away those who had decided to establish
their winter residences at the Ma
tional Capitol than all other causes COM
bined. There is no question about it. The
ISLANDERS eliminated through the Detective
Press by this class ofpeople had a tendency
to deter the timld from investing here or
making this city permanent residence.
And yet investigation of the assessors
books shows that these signers, all told,
reputable and disreputable chronic growl-
ers, and those who disclaim approving'a
growl, represent only about one twentieth
of the taxpayers of this District. Further
investigation shows that the assessed valu
alton of the property owned by these sign
ers has been more than doubled on the
average since the improvements so fiercely
denounced have been made, while large
tracts of unimproved property owned by
some have been more than quadrupled in
value. These men would grumble if they
were insured eternal salvation unless they
were at the same time furnished with a
dead head ticket to glory.