, 1878-04-12
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON. ID. c.. March -. lSlS.
The bin now pending before the House
designed to give to this District pcrlna-
ncat form Of government provides that
the General Government shall bear oO per
cent of District cXprn>e'. ana the Jl'tlc"
of the provision was very clearly dehol-
~trird hv IIrmlce and Blackburn of tt"
District Committee. in presenting the ol'I.
There is "A widespread impression away
from Washington that this city has hreh
pamprrrl 80 death by the over indulgence
of Congress; that il- cuizrnS had Only to
ask Tor money or any other VaIuaOIt Tlll
when II was at once accorded, po>SlDy
the >tltemrnt that Congress has brch a.
most uniformly nigglrdy and uljn>t in
it, treatment of this iltle territory. may
excite laugh OF lrri>ion. But the data
is at band to prove III" assertion. rake
Tor instance. the matter OF her pnb'lc
schools. The system has been almost
wholly developed since 1851. We NOW
have several school buildings both tor
white and colored pupils. that would do
the largest New England. New York and
Western cities no di.creGit. y large pro-
portion of Our residents who are Govern
ment EMPLOYEES. nearly all retain their
citizenship in the States whence appointed,
They own little property here and contri-
butte little IN the way of taxes; YET they
avail Themselves of the privileges ot our
schools to educIte large families "f child
rem. The mou-payinG tax feature apples
with euua! force to nineteem-tWehtiethS oi
orr winter visitors. 4 few members OF
Congress own the houses they live IN ana
perhaps other property: but most OF them
are uuite rs Improbable to the District
Treasury as the classes above enumerated.
More than fourth OF Our population l.
colored. cOntrbando. most of whom clne
during the war and since, Washington be-
inr regarded aS the political mecca OF the
race. The taxable property they own Isl
next to nothing IL compared to the large
number of their children who are educated
by the taX-paying residents. Washington
neither has the resources OF comhetcGti
or manufacturing city; and there are
very few wealthy citizens. yet the taN-pay-
erS are required to support an edncitlonal
system adequate to the accomno lati0h OF
all applicants, and they have done IT cheer
fully. receiving next to no aih froln tine
Government. while in the case OF nearly
all the States there have been large grants
of land for school purposes. From data
presented by the gentlemen nalhe', 1t APP
nears that Government owns - per cent
of the entire area of the District. Naut
ofnronrrtv owned bv District and the peo-
nIe $0G .O0O 600: value of that owned by
| Government S95 GOO, 600 AS Congress
! has supreme control, citizens c0ud Only
nrotest against the twenty-five or thirty
million debt contracted by government
opputs few wears since and tor'the pay
meul of which District and private pro-
urrty il now held liable. Government
nroperty is couaIIy benefited with the
| above by improvements made. LOcal
| Government j. aS necessary 10 lt. w I'M
ONT the fire and police departments what
would become of it? In fact many OF tn"
items in the e.timate of appropriations Tor
local purposes are more with II view To tue
upressitirs of the General than the District
Government.
have not the figures at hand to show the
total amount contributed by Congress Tor
District expenses since Washington be-
came the National Capital; but II Is rIdlc-
ulouSly small The taX-Iiddcn property
owners have been left nearly century 10
improve and care for the government
vast interests here; and to-day debt
euuallv more than fourth OF the entire
value of District and private property
hangs over orr heals deprecilting vaues
to the lowest cbb and rendering the sale
of property practically impossible We
were allowed no voice in the matter ana
the right Of reputation so frequently re-
sorted by other communities. aud which II
ever iustifabIe might be deemed so in our
case. j. denied us. Property TO the value
of hundreds of thousands has been vlrt'l-
aly coniiScated here since 1872. because OF
the inability of the owncrs-laborlnS pGo-
pie, gencr;llIy-to pay the taxes lie