New-York tribune., 1882-04-10

i' INV TELEGRAPH TO THE raIBUNE'l
u.s,,.,croN. April 9.-Uudcr speciai orue'
.son,.d s. me time ago the House OF h'p'eSo"'"
III devote tomorrow to the cohSiuoi' ''iOi' 01
r;stic4 Of Columbia business and the Dl'ric' Ooii
,;teo will make an effort 90 secure the p'SS'So "
tho b,ll 70 improve ;he harNOr OF washington '''U
,c.lai,n the pcsilcntal marshes WncH eA''"u
che city front for a distance oil more 'han wv
The nlan recommended by the committee iooN9
the reclamation of abOnt SIX hundred acIeS VIM
aosrr,Ied IN The moderate language of the report
as follows: .,-,.,,s o,1
This area is in the summer time continuous a. u
,,,enfiqI SWAMP Twice every twcn'y-iour hOlf1 -
covered by tide-watcr During te sunni. ~ a.. ,n and tle
tat0n grows up, which. from te neal 9i tuC s ~ ic
o,cioyInr by the tides, breeds deady Gla.iut VIZ;
snr, ads itself all Over tic low lying po: ions oI o
and produces the diseases W1l dn,.o' conec re
1r,ng dcaf to many household ~ Is t!T
tnau AL ohor- that conpcls the res9es % o1 ,scs
' ifnraed person all over the country TO a'ua II
S1rng thaI season a. they would the pes mousse
1becomiuittee might trnthfrlly have use" ihuch
stronger language than tins III describing ''o III
,olr1 lions conditions caused by tn sc marshes
Tbev alIec, not only the "low-yng portions loi 'ho
aitr lint every part of it, and not only during the
,.oytbs Of heat but throughout the entire year,
evc.nt during the hardest frosts of winter. Of
course. the worst effects are felt during the
hot months. Although the Executive
Mansion is partly screened from the fcver-laden
h,eze from the marshes by the thick foliage Of 'au
trses within three weeks after the late President
wa. stricken down 10y Gui,eau's bullet, last July,
five or six of The clerks and attendants az the Nhlte
Uouse were down with malaiial attacks, anu
hardly one Of them escaped altogether. In the
SIMMER time all the cool breczes to fan the heat-op
pressed people of the Capital como from the rlNeI
and all of them come heavily tTelghted Wlth ma
larial poison Let anyone who has ever Decn Ia
mhar with the peculiar Odor OF the night air along
the shores oi the lower Mississippi IL August or sep
teu!bcr. walk through Pennsylyania-ayc., the main
thofougnfarc of Washington, III an August night,
and he Will very soon De reminded of the mal2ral
districts of Louisiana or Mississippi Let him spend
o., hour after ightfal IN the Little public square
west of the State Department. where the statue o.
General Rawlins stands and ne will be warned by
experience to supplement his visit by generous
doe OF Quiilc. That the Capital bears fair rcpu-
lauon tor healthfulness is remarkable under the
circumstances. and il speaks well for the sanitary
precautions taken by the authorities, and the vigi-
lance of the people themselves.
In order to carry out the plans Of engineers and
tie recommendations Of the committee an expcn-
dlue Of - 900, 900 or $4,000, 900 viii be required.
The committee recommend an appropriation of
81 100000 he Grst year These look ike large
amounts ; but, considering the work TO be done and
The public benefits TO be derived, thcI ar reason
able They VIII result IN making good harbor Tor
Washington, which has considerable commerce
which will naturally increase IN adding almost a
square mile to the area Of the city in place of tie
eatl-brcedng marsh which now cOIfIOnts II, and
in making il one of the healthiest cities in the
Union. To accomplish this object is worth all it
Will cost.
Tie bill proposed by the House committee places
the whole work under the control Of the Secretary
OF War He is TO determine how II shall be done and
it to be done aud he 10 be hod responsible
for the results
II is a very diicult task for the District Commit
zee III the House 10 any time for the cOnsid-
Grafton Of business reported by them, but they III
tend 10 make special and earnest efforts to obtain
action upon tins measure, which has been brought
forward only after the most careful and deliberate
consideration II tnc plan Is not the best that eau
De- devised, Congress ought 10 perfect il as far as
practicable; but certainly something ought to be
done al this session toward removing the dangerous
nuisance which has for years been allowed to
disgrace the Capital, owing 10 the apathy Of Con-
ST1SS,