The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-11-26
TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTA-.
TON.
Fast and south Washington - Their
GrnnnIS of Gnm nIninf.

As shown by the official records, there
have been twenty executive officers appointed since
the formation of the so-called District government
in lS7 Including Government Board OF Works, COM
mssloners and engineer officers. OF these eighteen,
uine-tenths have been appointed from west of
Thirteenth street west and north Of q street north
Taking account Of tile length Of time the different
parties held their position the superintendent has
bceu about MS follows: Georgetown has had 81 per
cent. the ''WeSt End, - west of Thirteenth street,
rs per cent; the eastern part ot the northwest
quarter, per cent; East and South Washington,
per cent
street Improvements The expenditure of the
money for street improvements has been IN about the
same ratio. For Instance the appropriation Tor the
present fiscal year in round numbers Is about AS fol-
lows: For the northwest quarter $40, O0U; for the
southwest quarter sj7 900; for the southeast quar-
ter :2l 900; for the northeast quarter, 81 500, Hud
of this 49, 800 not cent is to lie spent east south
OF the Capitol 1t being the hair of 80 900 expended
North Capitol street, in the vicinity OF the Govern
mant Printing once street that is not and cannot
be opened through because 0 the Baltimore and ONO
Hnilroad and lis depot. Fourteenth street although
having u concrete pavement on one side All the way
10 boundary, has 1t applied on tho other side this
year while East Capitol is nor completed 10 Lincoln
Park side. New Hampshire avenue, on which
about $40, 600 had previously been expended, gets
81 600 more this year, while Maryland avenue,
which there Is hundred times more travel, gets not
a cent. And these but samples Of all the rest.
In South Washington 1t Is hut little, If any, better
and In addition to thar the streets are blocked up by
the Baltimore aud Potomac Railroad, which has
greatly inCOmmOded the citizens and injured their
The water SuppIy-The same discrimination has
prevailed In regard To the water supply. Even when
Congress by act Of June TO- 1879 appropriated S25,
'tO increase the water supply on Capitol I'M, -
the commissioners refused to eNpsnd the money AN
1t actually laid in the Treasury uncaed for Tor three
years, until iLlap el-u but sdi7 2s which was
pended for benefit of private citizen in violation
of law! Instead OF increasing the supply Capitol
MN II has been decreased.
The official reports show that dnring the past three
years water mains have been laid and paid for on t
OF the public funds in round numbers as follows;
Northwest quarter, 30 600 feet southwest quarter,
t. 900 feet: southeast quarter, 600 feet north
east quarter, a3G feet. During tho last year
has been laid ia the northeast quarter and this
the authorities refuse to lay any unless the ct
2eus will advance the funds to do it, although Congress
appropriated this year $40 600 to lay water mains,
IT.
with the sewerst is the citizens desiring to
build must build their own sewers go without
though thousands Of feet have been laid in the north
west
Justice ia reference To the assessments which the
taxes collected. There has been assessment
since 1873, and In consequence OF the expenditure of
nearly all the money IN the northwest quarter The prop
erty has quadTuptd there, while, as the
- 1t has decreased IN the east and southeast. -
As an Illustration, he states that twenty squares
between Fifteenth and Twenty-irst streets aud NJ
aud l. streets now assessed at an average value
of thrtyeigh cents per foot, while 1t is well known
that the present value would exceed II 30 which value
is calculated rom recent sales. ~
While, therefore, the owners of property In the
favored northwest quarter pay taxes AT about ONE
fourth of the actual value OF their property those In
East and South Washington pay on theirs At the
original full value, although according 10 the
SOT IL has decreased about - per cent, In other
words the citizens of East and South Washington pay
about hve times as much taxes In proportion to the
value ct their property as do those In the favored
northwest.
No fair minded person can Justify such dlscrlmlna.
ton and that II Is the direct result Of making all the
appointments from that section Is clear a,
that effect follows cause. can any one wonder that
the citizens In East and South Washington be-
coming aroused at such treatment 1t is simply