The Evening critic., 1883-02-17

The following Is n c,py Of letter alcclly
under consideration by the subcommllt,e on
| Appropriations of the United States senats;
HCHord6io i. y. Ranb, chairman Of ,SU510m-
NIUE on APPitHidttons, Tinted states Sen
| SIR: AS District Engineer Lioutunant Hoxle,
| IN MS report Of November 80, 1870, says /:
'"The wisdom OF the policy OF the work OF i'm.
| proNcment is shown very clearly In the I'M
| mediate stimulus given to individual enter-
prise. New buildings spring up along tho
| line of the improved streets, and the work Is
hardly commenced before alterations OF the
| old buildings are taken I'm hand t. enlarge aud
| improve them. The record OF the building
| permits show that over three aud-ahal; mill
| Hons OF taxable property Of ths character has
| been added 10 the District during the present
season, and tho buildings have followed
| almost exclusively the line OF the Improved
streets. on Capitol Hill the grading under
| contract has been diminished about ono half
and the work distributed upon other streets.
| The improvements Intended for certain local..
! Ties have been transferred u others, and the
| character of the improvements modified as
| circumstances seemed to demand"
And In his report of November To- 1877, he
adds In several localities the suspension OF
the WORK OF improvements has Inflicted a
serious injury upon adjoining property"
Mr.. Dodge, oar District Assessor, In his re.
cent report, says; "a new assessment of real
estate Tor the coming year would soom to be n
necessity, in order 10 equalize values, which
have greatly increased in the north vest part
OF tho city and decreased In tho east aud
southeast, as well ms many portions OF George
1878. For instance, twenty squares between
Fifteenth ana Twenty.nrst streets and NJ ana
northwest are now assessed alta average
value OF Us cents per square foot, aud 1t Is
well known that the present value would OK
coed Sl.3O. Upon careful estimate think
that, upon anew assessment, the northwestern
section VIII average 81: southwestern or East
Washington, 10 cents northeast section, 10
cents, and southeast section on Capitol Hill
and Navy-Yald, cents per square foot"
Previous to 1871 tho entire cost OF the street
improvements WINS assessed against tho ad.
iacent property, and from 1871 to 1878, only
one third OF the cost. Under this last named
system, In his report of November %, 1876,
Lieutenant Hoxie remarks "rhe present sys.
TEN OF taxation for improvements which
lovies upon the property Immediately bene.
fitted a tax OF only one.thlrd the cost has been
found 10 Induce a vigorous competition among
property owners for the extension to them OF
The benefit OF the Improvement The owners
of properly yet unvisited by the work
complain that they are taxed for two.thlrds OF
the cost OF especially beneflung other prop.
erty while sharing only Indirectly in tho bene.
Mt But, to the schemlng benehcarles, even
that was considered insufficient and unsatIs-
factory, and new form Of Commlss loners'
government was Instituted, under which
scheme for improving the favored section OF
the city, exclusively at public expense, has
been perfected with results as above indl.
Gated; and this too under system of tax.
aiion, which, according to present values, I'm.
posed burden fourfold greater on the pro.
scrloed and impoverished section Of tho city
than on the favored and opulent one.
Under that policy of personal and sectional
favoritism, out of the appropriation for street
Improvements In this city for the current
fiscal year the northwest quarter of the city
gets the benefit Of S27O,00O and the northeast
quarter less than $4,000.
Under that system, since the commencement
OF the present Commissioners government In
lS1S,water. mains for the convenience OF water.
takers have been laid In the four quarters OF
the city as follows: In the northwest quarter
3O,T3Gib lineal feet; in the southwest quarter
$3.50 feet; In the southeast quarter, S75 feet;
ana In tho northeast quarter, 1856 feet, less
than one per cent. of tho total amount
Stlll when the taxpayers and citizens of thIs
nnrepresented and prescribed quarter of tho
city humbly ask fora water-main with which
10 connect their residences, they are notified
by the assistant engineer that their petition
can be granted only on condition that they ad.
vance to the District government Il sum sum.
cient 10 complete the main for tho whole
length OF the square before work thereon can be
commenced, to be reimbursed therefor three
orfour years hence on the collection of the
tax 10 be laid on the property OF the square, so
provided by law.
When last year complained to you of tho oh.
vious want OF greater facilities of communica-
tion between the eastern and western parts of
the city, and mentioned that the first len east
ern ana western streets south of the Capitol
win the single exception of street. were un-
improved and mainly impassable, Lieutenant
Green remarked that he was providing for
that want by the improvement of F street
south. And when suggested to him that E
street was preferable TO L for that purpose, IL
but one OF them could be improved, he thought
otherwise.
within one square of South Capitol street but
without increasing tho facilities required in
any manner whatever. This improvement
makes no connection with East Washington in
any manner, and 1t Is impracticable for that
purpose, as VIII be seen mt u glance by any
man on visiting that locality. The cumula-
tion of railroad tracks at this point on the
west side of South Capitol street and the large
public reservation on the other side would be
an einclent barrier to an eastern roadway con-
tinuation ON the line of said street.
80 nothing for that purpose has been accom-.
pending bill.
The same want OF convenient outlet from
the north side OF the Capitol eastward also |
slill exists. During the first session OF this
congress, assurances were given that the |
pavement on street northeast should be
extended from Third TO Fourth street; that b |
street, from Delaware avenue to Second street |
northeast, should be improved, and that pro. |
vision should be made for paving Maryland |
avenue, from First street eastward, at the |
present session. But nothing of the kind is |
prospectlyely apparent In the pending bill, |
But instead thereof, the pending District |
Appropriation bill provides for the replace. |
ment OF wooden pavements on II street north. |
east, between North Capitol and First street, |
Sl2,T6S.7o, and of stone pavements on Ii |
street northeast, between First and Fifteenth |
streets, s37, ,S62.5O. Total for new pavemsnts |
and Fifteenth streets, $5O,631 %. And for |
Maryland avenue, between said First and |
fliteenth streets, nothing.
Therefore l respectfully request that the
said $50,631.25 be expended on Maryland |
avenue instead of II street
!. Because there is no wood pavement on |
said II street TO be replaced.
=. because the sanitary pretexts of rotten J
WOOD cannot hold against stone pavements.
3. Because said ii street has already had the |
benent or more than 100000 in pavements /
and Maryland avenue nothing.
4. because Maryland avenue is much the
greater and moro important thoroughfare.
D. Because the glaring want of better faclll-
ties OF communication through the heart of
the city, and especially in the vicinity of the
sponsible authorities.
The wood pavement mentioned In the bill.
as ABOVE, was removed by the Commissioned |
Two years ago and gravel roadway was sub
sututed. The stone pavement was laid by the
District authorities ten or eleven years ago al
cost OF ABOUT 100000. Two-thirds OF the
COST, poth OF the wood and the stone pave.
ment, was at public expense, and the sibstl.
tuition OF gravel and MacAdam roadway for a
portion thereof has been exclusively at public
expense. Under such circumstances what
Just reason can be assigned for laying another
stone pavement OH said II street at the OK.
pense OF the prescribed portions of the Dis
lrict, already oppressed with taxation, mainly
Ior the aggrandizement OF the favored few 3?
The commissioners scheduled estimate for
necessary street improvements, January l.
1852, reached the aggregate sum of $2,5S2.
562.66, and this did not even include the re-
OF this stone pavement on street.
Obviously, If this system OF favorltism Is to
all OF the available revenues of the
District are to be continuously exhausted In
replacements and repairs of streets already
aggrandized at public expense and the i'm
OF the hitherto neglected portions
OF the city may be postponed Indefinitely.
but mere neglect, and even taxing us to I'm.
prove prove others property IS not all OF which we