Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-10-28
The Position Of the Commissioners on
the Schedules.

ERRORS AND MISSTATEMENTS ABOUT IT.
To the Editor of The EVENING STAR:
In connection with the position of the Com
missioners on the legal necessity for the sub
proved to the Treasury department, an absurd
error made by a correspondent OF the New York
Tribune, which appeared in that journal in its
issue OF the 26th inst, should be corrected. It
is stated in that journal that the charge Is made
time is because the money estimated for the
improvement Of streets, namely, $4O5, 900, is TO
be used for the benefit of property OF President
nent owners OF unimproved real estate. Any
one who assumes to state the facts in cOnnec-
tion with this schedule and to criticise the ac-
tions of the heads Of the District government
should not be SO ignorant Of the law In the
premises. which plainly indicates that this
Item OF S4Oo'O%G0 % is TO oe , expended in street
a separate item for suburban improvements,
which this year Is S5O,OOO. It is not stated
cily property, SO that to urge such a reason as
governing the Commissioners action is unten-
able; and this is but an illustration of other
misstatements and erroneous conclusions con.
tanned in the article, which will require q SUBJ
seQueut communication. 1t is also stated by
the same correspondent that such dissatisfac-
tion was created by the failure OF the Com
missioners to send the usual schedule that the
acting secretary of the Treasury felt COM
strained to call for it IS also q misstatement.
for those conversant with the facts are aware
that 1t was at the instance OF the First Control
Ter that such request was made, and thai he
was Influenced to take the step by suOordinates
in his office This influence has always been
exerted TO thwart the administration of the
District government by the Com minissiOners and
to make this municipality subordinate to the
Treasury officials. Every board of commits
sioners has encounteredl this spirit, and any
cretion has been contested at every point. 1t
the presumption that The everal first controllers
have relied on the knowledge of District mat
ters of their subOrdinates, and the enmity of
such to the District government and the wei
Iare ofthe citizens has held sway in the various
controversies that have arisen between the
District Commissioners and the Treasury
In the case in point IL may not be known that
If such q schedule Of streets was submitted,
the Secretary of the Treasury would have
no power to omit or add a single street, ana
as this is a matter in which the citizens of this
District and Congress are alone concerned, and
it would seem reasonable that the Commission
ers fail to see the adviSability OF making up
their minds nine months in advance OF the
time when the work shall be done. Heretofore
the influence now exerted to compel the Com
missioners to yield to the demands of Treasury
subordinates would have caused the District
the loss of many thousands OF dollars by the
failure to credit the same with One-haif the
drawback certificates received for taxes, but
Congress wisely recognized the equity OF the
Districts claim and allowed the credit 1t will
thus be seen from information obtained from
reliable sources that the Commissioners have
taken q stand which, while not submitting to
the efforts to belittie their authority, have not
at ali injured the interests of the people or dis
regarded the will Of Congress which created
them. ONE WHO KNOWS.