The Evening critic., 1882-06-01
MISG0VERNMENT
AND MIsAPPLIcATIoN OF FUNDS

by the sairaps of Four-and-a-baIr
Strcet-Piain Provisions Of Law
violated - Fnyoritism in High
PIaces-Tho Interests of Certain
Sections OF the City Sacrificed,
that Favorftes May lie Benented-
wronging the Many for the BENEFIT
of n Favored Few-IIOw the Snfraps
Enhance the value of Their Own
Propersy-A Wrong which Calls
Loudly for Congressional Inves-
tigation, and which the Best In
terests OF the whole city Demand
should He Righted.
We publish below a communication which
was presented to the Senate Committee on
Appropriations on tho 3oth of May-two days
ago. 1t is written by gentleman who has
made a careful study of the question, and who
knows whereof he speaks, and who has never
hesitated TO make himself known. THE CRITIC
does not publish this communication because
1t has special interest In the improvement Of
any particular section Of the city, or Is Jealous
OF the prosperity OF one section over another
We want to every section improved-we
want to make this, whole, the most beau
tiful and grandest Capitol In the world, but
we do most earnestly protest against mlsgov-
ernment, mismanagement OF funds and the
violation Of the plainest provisions OF law for
the purpose OF advancing the interests of ono
section at the expense OF others. Certainly,
no good citizen can approve of a system which
expends large sums Of money on unimproved
and uninhabited streets, while more pit
tance is given to improved ana thickly peo-
pied localities.
To he Hon. Committee on appropriations Of The
u. s. Senate.
GENTLEMEN: Tho act of June IL, 1873,
provides that "the Commissioners shall sub
nit to the Secretary of the Treasury
for his examination and aDDrOVal StatD-
ment showing in detail the work proposed to
be undertaken by them during the fiscal year
next ensuing and the estimated cost thereof"
The pending bill, Ii. II. 5664, proposes to ap-
propriate:
For repairs to concrete pavements .. $4,000
For repairs to Macadam roa 1ways. -. 5000
For materials for permit work. k......... 10000
For surveys for avenue extensions.... 5000
For replacement OF pavements and
work on sundry avenues and streets. 10000
Total amount for street improvements .3So, 900
In the expenditure OF the first four Items,
the Commissioners are to have an unrestricted
option, but obviously that $4,000 will mainly
go for the benefit of the northwestern quarter
of the city, as illustrated by the work now in
progress on street northwest, between
Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets.
In the expenditure Of the other item OF
| 100000 they Will only be restricted to their
"schedule of streets requiring immediate at
| ten,ion" on page 265 OF the Book of Estimate,
which aggregates 1866, ,S75, and which Is di-
| vided between the four quarters OF the city as
| follows;
| The northwest quarter and suburbs. .s273,5oo
| Tho southeast quarter. 51,12o
| The southwest quarter. ......,... 20, $50
| The northeast quarter..... 4,500
| IOlal l...,..........,. .............. $500 $40
OF the appropriation for street improve
ments and repairs, therefore, this bill Will give
to the northwest quarter nearly S350,000 and
| to the northeast quarter only $4,000 and this
| pittance will be applicable only to North Capi-
| tol street, half OF which belongs to the north
| east quarter. East OF that street not single
in said quarter of the city under the law. And
| as the Commissioners have a margin of
S55,S75 to drop from their schedule at their
own pleasure there is only bare possibility
that the northeast quarter would get the bene-
| 1T OF even the "a 800.
Tho schedule Of streets to which the said
x3OO,0OO is exclusively applicable embraces
New Hampshire avenue from NJ too
| street,. ........................ S26, 100
| Pennsylvania avenue from the Circle
| to Twenty sixth street et.............. 1880
| NJ street from New Hampshire avenue
to Twenty street. .............. 2O,25O
| Fourteenth street from NJ TO Bound
......................... 33,75O
Rhode Island avenue from Ninth to
Thirteenth street. ....:............ 2o,25O
r street from Sixteenth street to
Boundary.....;;. .;........:..:. 1000
U street from rom Sixteenth street cct''i to '''
Boundary.......:....... 1000
W street from Sixteenth street to -
Boundary. ......................... 1,OOC
| Seventeenth street from Q street to
boundary ..............,........... 1900
Eighteenth street from @ street
to boundary ....................,... 5000
Total ....................s1 s1s2 GOO
The foregoing constitutes less than half OF
| the amount to which said Northwest Quarter
Will be entitled under the pending bill, but
have selected this list from
Personal knowledge OF the COndi.
tiOn and Claims
| OF these streets to illustrate the sectional dis
elimination made III favor OF that quarter o.
| the city.
obviously not a cent should be expended OF
any Of the streets In that list until other sec
| tions of the city shall have received a more
| equitable proportion OF the appropriations fol
| street improvements.
For Instance, New Hampshire avenueis
Very Sparsely Settled and but Little
Travelled.
Still, under this new Commissioners govern
ment, since the appropriation for 1850, tha
avenue has already had the benefit OF abou
$4,000 for Its improvement. More thar
missioners in opening said avenue through al
| untraveled swamp, building n nice roadwa,
and brick sidewalk at public expense from
| street to street for stretch of about half
mile, on which a building never stood, ant
this bill, as 1t now stands, approprlates $26,
100 more for the improvement OF this sub
More than $4,000 were also expended II
| 1881 on street, between Fourteenth and Six
teenth streets, also unsettled. Eighteenth
street. between and Boundary also In tn,
foregoing list Is entitled TO the benefit o
$4,5oO out of the appropriation for the cur
| rent year, and the opening and improvement
| OF said street we're In progress few days age
! expensive granite curbstone being used there
although
Not n single Building of Any Ixfn,
is to be found on said street between 2 and
, n distance OF about half a mile. The pendin
bill gives $4,000 more TO this street.
on @ street, between Seventeenth an
Eighteenth streets, roadway has also II
Gently been opened and brick payemen
|, buflt ON the north side thereof, with grant
curbstone, and n similar foot pavement ha
, been commenced on the south side also. Thi
street, too, is unsettled, the squares on bot
sides OF IT being owned and held by one maj
exclusively for speculation. Shade tree
nicely boxed, have this spring been planted 0
4 both sides of the street In front OF his two VI
4 improved squares OF land by our Commission
/ ers. street, between Sixteenth and MIN
teenth, is also entitled 10 S5,430 out OF I'll
appropriation for 1882, and $4,000 more is
: be given to that remote and sparsely settle
Q street by this bill. All this, you Will observe
; is not for the displacement Of wood paw
ments.
And the same may be said of seventeent
4 street and II, and u, and v, and w also, pr
rtr