National Republican., 1876-11-11
MEETING IN GEORGETOWN.
A Return to the Municipal Form Of Cover,
mant tAsked-A Proposition for Retrocesaio1

A meeting of citizens of Georgetown was
held at Goddard's hall, In that city, last even
ing for the purpose of considering change OF
government and adopting series of recon-
mendations to be presented to the Congress
sional commission to draft q plan of govern
ment for the District. The meeting was quite
well attended, and pumbcr of the most
prominent citizens of Georgetown were present,
Captain j. q. Goddard was. elected chairman,
and Mr.. II ". Barrett, secretary.
Mr.. VIM. II. Fenney announced that the
committee appointed at the town meeting to
put the views of the citizens in suitable form
was ready to report. He urged, however, that
the meeting be adjourned until next Tuesday,
when the election excitement will have sub
sided, and larger meeting could be called.
It was finally agreed to have the report read
The committee consists of Messrs Vim. King,
VIM. II. Tenney and Joseph Libbey.
THE REPORT
was read by MIR. Liboey. 1t opens as fol.
lows:
The present form of government debars Us
from exercising any authority whatever or
the smount of taxation imposed upon US, Oh
any control ever the expenditures of the same
The exercise of these vital powers is In the
hands of strangers to us-non- residents, moi
identified with any of our interests, and hence
unconcerped about the burdens imposed upon
us, and Indifferent to our sufferings, and ap
psrently deemipg 1t an act of grace to lister
TO any of. our grievances.
THE WATER QUESTION.
Congress passed an act for bringing water
from the Great Falls of the Potomac for the
protection of the Government property In
Washington, and, the main passing through
Georgetown, permission was given to both
n NIL oshf fporta n far
ernment main and distribute water through
the two cities.
Among the grievances we complain Of ID
that Georgetown levied front-foot tax on
all streets where lateral mains were extended
sufficient to cover the cost, leaving the prop
.erty-holders, at their own cost, to convey
water into their own premises, and making
public hydrants and water-piugs for fire.
engines for the public good at the expense OF
our corporation. Washington pursued diff
ferent policy and incurred bonded debt for
the same, and charging a water-rent to such
persons as used water on their premises to pay
the interest and redeem the principal of said
bonds.
Notwithstanding Georgetown paid front
foot tax sufficient to cover the entire expense
of distributing water by lateral mains. yet, by
recommendation Of the present Commission
ers of the District of Columbia, an amend
ment, at the last session of Congress in a
committee of conference, without our knowl-
edge, was put In the District tax bill charging
us with the same water rent as was paid in
Washington.
Our front-foot tax of sixty cents on each
side of stree, paid for the cost of our lateral
mains, was a useless tax on our citizens, as we
now find we are charged with the same water
rent as that paid by Washington, which city
paid no front foot tax; and the report of Gen.
ersl NJ. c. Meigs, copy of which is hereby
annexed, giving us credit for our wisdom and
ssgacity in making water free In our city is an
absurdity If we are to pay the same water-rent
as Washington does. The acts of our corpora
lion in making water free were confirmed by
Congress, as is fully set forth in our complaint
to the Honorable the justices of the Supreme
Court Of the District OF Columbia, holding q
Court of Equity, asking an injunction to re-
strain the collection of said water-rents, a copy
of which is hereby annexed.
The report goes on to recite that the corpo-
ration of Georgetown bad paid for the erection
of a steam supply pump and the other facts
connected with the water grievances.
PERSONAL TAX.
Their second complaint is that Congress
having, by act passed July 12, 1876, repealed
all licenses and made q personal tax in lieu
thereof, many of their citizens paid their
licenses prior to July IL, 1876, and are now
subject to an additional personal tax on the
same property, the Commissioners deciding
they have no power to return licenses paid
prior to July II, 1876.
They further complain that while under
their old corporation they paid all taxes,
licenses and fines at home; now they have to
travel two miles away to the Columbia build.
ings, on Four and a. half street, and petty in
fringements of corporation laws have to be
tried in the Police Court at Washington.
INCREASE IN TAXES.
The report reviews the gradual increase oi
taxes under the corporation from the veal
1854, incident to the increase in school prop
erty, extension of water mains and The ex-
pense of the fire department. 1t then says
In 1871 a tax of S1.35 on the 500 was levied,
of which 25 cents was applied to the cost oi
a new school house, the highest tax ever paid
under our late corporation. The following
tax is given, contrasting the taxes paid BY
their citizens since they were amalgamated
into the government Of the District of Colum-
bia, viz: For the half year ending June 80,
1872, So cents; for the year ending June 80,
1873, S1.70; for the year ending June 80, 1874,
81; for the year ending June 80, 1875, $3.50;
for the year ending June so, 1876, 81 so; for
the year ending June 80, 1877, S1.50.
The report says: IA personal tax was also
levied by the act of Congress approved July
ing assessments on merchandise, bonds, mort
cages, cash on hand, &C., as interpreted by the
District Commissioner, ,inquisitorial and often
siye in its nature, the results of which are yet
to be determined. Under our own municipal
government, with the moderate tax above
stated, we lighted our entire streets with gas,
maintained steam fire engine, more than our
proportion of those used in this District, kept
our town in good sanitary condition, paid our
nf ha nf no Mofr nv
police, maintained an aims house for our des-
titute poor and contributed literally as a cor
poration for the outside poor, maintained pub
he schools sufficient for the wants of our peo-
pie, and kept the credit of our six per cent
bonded debt at or above par" It then goes
on to state the comparatively small benefits II
had received from the General Government.
THE PRAYER.
Tie concluding prayer is as follows;
awe therefore pray to be restored TO our
previous municipal condition, and If It is the
will of our Congress, and the wish of that por-
ton of the District of Columbia lying west oi
Rock creek to be included with US, leaving that
portion east of Rock creek tn be settled by the
wishes of its citizens. In asking to be restored
to our previous municipal government It Is
with this condition only: that we be charged
only with the debt owed by US when our char.
ter was taken from us without asking the ap-
proval of our citizens, the county of Washing.
ton being at that time free of debt, for the fol.
lowing reasons: That the debt since incurred
was by the Board of Public Works, and the
present District Commissioners, appointed by
the President and confirmed BY the Senate
United States officers, and wholly irresponsible
to us and beyond our control.
Beside this fact, where our streets have
been improved we have paid frout-foot tax
on each side of street, on an average of So sc
per front foot, or S13 on both sides, being
81 $50 for 100 feet of q street improved
sum sufficient, If paid in cash, TO cover the en-
tire cost of said improvements. Besides
these Improvements have been mostly wood
payements, and sre NV in dilspidated con
dition, worse than our late cobble-stone pave
ments, and will have to be renewed with more
suit able material.
We now refer, in conclusion, to an act oi
Conpress. entitled NAn act concerning the