National Republican., 1880-03-18
The District Commissioners Report.

TO the Editor of The National Republican:
SIR: The District Commissioners have made
their annual report, aud they show that thoro
WAS collected on account OF the general fund
of the District q. O., general taxes on real
estate aud personal property the sum Of
81, 400, ,69797. and the amount paid out on ac-
count Of salaries aud contingent expenses nf
District officers, $17S, ,4OO3O. BY District OIL
GERS is meant only those whose headquarters
are in the Columbia building. This amount
of S17S, 80 does not include any portion Of
the expense Of the Metropolitan police, public
schools, Fire Department. strect-amps, mar.
kcts, charities aud corrections, courts, etc. rs
the pay of thu officers and employees aud con-
tingcnt expenses of each of tho abovo-named
departments are given separate and distinct
from the above amount (soe pages 50, 81 aud
%, Com Rep.), nor does it include tho pay
of employees of the Board of Health, which is
SIS, ,S23.23, aud contingent expenses, $6,7H.3l;
or of the Water Department, whose employees
are paid S3g, ,9696S, and for contingent ex-
penscs, S13, 1880 making tho total of salaries
aud contingent expenses Of the Water depart
meut, $53.05795 while the total collection of
water rents and tax is only S60,05367, thus
making total of S25i ,06065 paid as salaries
and contingent expenses, not including police,
fire and tho other departments above named.
Included in the above amount Is tho expense
Of the Army Engineers office QLeutenants
Hoxie and Green) viz, oomponsation Of en-
ployes $5S,716.70, while tho total paid.for work
of labOrers in the Engineers department is
5S,653.65, so that IL costs just S3252 more to
plan out and direct tho work than tho cost Of
the actual work dono outside of the contracts,
besides an additional amount paid to supervi-
sors Of country roads.
1t cost but $l3,3o7 to collect the taxes Tex
penscs of Collectors ofice) while 1t cost $1S,.
535.2j for tho useless office Of Auditor, as the
whole of his work could be done by one good
clerk.
Thus we pay ont over ono.fourth of mil.
lion dollars or about 50 per head for each man,
woman and child in the District for salaries
outside of the departments named.
Could any government or administration,
resting upon the will of tho governed, who
would dare expend for salaries one-third of tho
amount of this triumvirate, exist longer than
the first opportunity to change it at the ballot
bOx2 Is it any wonder, then, that our people
arc dissatisfied and dishcartemed ia view of this
gradual but sure ruin, or that when those who
reside upon streets wholly unmproved though
well built upon, aud in many cases where side
walks, laid entirely at their own expense,
have been torn up, ask that tho streets may
be graded only and the sidewalks rnlad2 Tho
august Commissioners reply, "No mouey"
mot IN our estimates" And so we go year by
year through mud and bitches, aud in dark
| ness, unnOticed plcboians lu tax payers, ruled,
but not rulers--not citizens, though residents
l-Americans n-AmoricRnized-dis disirancniscd
seris. II in Russia there exists government
| ignoring, as do our District olgarchy, tho
rights, petitions and humble prayers Of all save
| those Of such an aristocracy us imperialism
breeds, and the high military aud civil oifi-
GERS of the government, nihilism should not
only be excused but commended. L.