Evening star., 1886-11-02
KILLED WITH RAT POISON.
Martin ". Casey said to have Committed
Su1ei0e.


Suicide. ra
1t is now ascertained tnat the death of Mar.
tin V. Casey, q clerk In the Treasury depart.
| ment, who died Saturday afternoon. as mem
| toned in yesterdays STAR, was caused by his
taking dose of "Rough on Rats, which con-
| tains large proportion of arsenic. He had
suffered for some years from attacks of heart
disease and it was supposed THAI his death
was from this cause. But since the coroner's
inquiry and the examination of the stomach
| OF the deceased by Prot De Smedt, the District
chemist, it is established that his death was
that the recurrence OF the attacks of heart dis
ease affected his mind and that in one of the
fits OF melancholy from which he suffered and
resolved to end his troubles. The deceased
leaves a wife and two small children. He had
| q large insui ance upon his iife
The District Estimates. Controversy.
To the Editor of The EVENING STAR:
When wrote my Communication to your
journal on the subject of the schedule of streets
not submitted by the District Commissioners
| to the Treasury department., which was printed
/ il The STAR OF the 2Sth inst, 1t was not my
intention to enter into newspaper discussion
nor to 'step in and explain what the Commits
sioners intend to do with the moDey"-the
estimates show that--but merely to point out
and correct some wrong conclusions respecting
said schedule TO which the correspondent ofthe
n: Y. Tribune had arrived, as evidenced by his
letter published in said journal on the 26th
ult. But AS "One Who Wants to Know (as
we'll as another correspondent signing himself
the premises, an expression respecting which I
used in my communication, will do my best
to eighten both. Written as my letter was
amid the pressure of urgent business, it was
more carelessy expressed than it would have
been had had the time 10 give it closer atten-
| tion. Had done SO would have said that the
| law required "this item OF S4O5, 900 to he
expended in street improvements Within the
city limits, instead of saying that the law "in-
n hio OfrIA hox-a hoo,, f1,a
| term and the statement is, as l hope to make
clear, the fact. The law in the premises is
the provision in the act of June i l. 1878 W hich
requires the Commissioners to submit esti-
mates showing what they propose TO do with
| the District revenues during the fiscal year
| next ensuing This they have done by for
warding estimates showing for what purposes
| the money is to be spent and. the amount of ex-
| items is one ior S4O5, 900 for Improvement OF
streets and avenues" another Oh $4,000 for
"Inaintenance dmprovemenU OF suburban
| opening and extending suburban streets and
avenues, which find is S6O,OOO instead of
$4,000, as previously stated. Now then' what
are suburban streets? Clearly those
OUTSIDE OF THE CITY LIMITS,
including Georgetown, which is regarded as
| part OF Washington, and their improve
ment and care Is thus provided for in
| items separate from the item OF S4O5, 900.
The wording OF the appropriation styled lin
provement vi streets and avenues has dllCuys
been intended TO mean such scithin the city
| limits, and the appropriation never expended
for any other, and heretofore no one has ever
questioned that such was the case. Whenever
any expenditure for improvements is to be
made, a distinction has always been made, and
is this year, between the city and county, the
latter being specified when intended, and when
| not SO specified all the expenditures for Inn
limits. And why is this so? Because every one
Knew that such appropriations were intended
| To be expended in the city and they were, and
! it has never been Thought necessary by any
| board oil Commissioners 10 add the words "ln
Washington and Georgetown" to the item for
| improving streets and duenues as 1t was thor
ougniy understood. As your correspondents
must be aware much goes by implication and
still more by precedent In the matter Of laying
sewers also The same distinction is made, there
| being separate item submitted tor suburban
! sewers of $25, 900 and another item OF So, 100
for main ana pipe sewers, leaving it unuer-
stood by implication and in accordance with
| precedent that the city Including Georgetown)
| Is 10 receive the benefit OF the appropriation
| The unaIterable fact then remains that
| To specifically state that they to be
| expended in the county are to De and haze been
| the understanding between the Commission
i ers, the Treasury department and apprOpria-
tion committees of Congress, and any departure
| therefrOm would be in direct violation Of It,
The omission, then, to use the words "cities OF
Washington and Georgetown is merely be-
cause it is regarded supertuous by all parties
named above, and sucu item of S4U5,UOO is
estimated In accordance with this un-
ders,anding, so that the law which
| mate and all others plainly requires even
though it does not "indicate'' that The appro-
priations for improvements in the city cannot
be expended In the county, it being provided in
| section 1878 of the Revised Statutes, that no
| appropriation for one object can be diverted
| to use upon another. As have once more the
| opportunity of writing on this subject, I ask
your indulgence in space sufficient TO present
one or two more facts as briefly as possible.
One Is that have taken means to ascertain
that the reason why the Commissioners lid not
submit a schedule OF the streets TO be i'm rroyed
to tue Treasury department, in addition u the
fact that, as they express themselves in their
letter, they are nnabie aL the present time TO de-
termine exactly which streets should have order
of precedence out OF the great mass demanding
merely technical revision by the Secretary
the main examination being In the hands OF
u subordinate Oh the first controllers Office,
and 1t is no wonder that they should not wish
their Sele, ton OIL streets to go through such a
revision. he might assume under the law au-
thorizing the examination at the Treasury of
the estimates 10 throw out or insert some street
in which he might be privately interested, al
though this would hardly be tolerated by Con-
gress. Congress, the creator OF the Com issiou.
ers looks ~ them To administer the affairs OF the
government OF LheDlstrict, and certainly did not
inteud that the chiel executive officers OF this
District snOuid be subordinate to the will of a
minor Treasury official in the exercise OF their
discretion in improving streets and other mum.
clpai matters.
AN ADMISSION FROM THE TREASURY DEPART
MENT.
It will be interesting in this connection
to note the following extract from the
printed book of estimates for the pesentr
fiscal year, prepared at the Treasury depart
Inent. 1t reaus follows, appearing lust
below the item ior work Oh the streets
estimated for the current year mot the nex.:
''NOie.-Tnis department is not prepared NTH ne
means OJ tg0rnldttOa at its command, 10 stale
wnat particular streets Or avenues ought first
To be improved. II is recommended mat
Congress, in making the approprii .ion shall
state the order in which tue work shall be
DONE" Tue italicizing is mine.l 1t is thus OBJ
tat lf
make IL more emphatic, that last year the
treasury department admitted the very TACT
which the Commissioners now contend, viz:
that Congress Is the proper authority To Call
for such schedule, ind deliberately ;cknowI-
edged that, as TO the schedule then submitted
the proper streets, but referred the matter 10
Congress-. This Is exactly The ommssioners
view, and Congress will be furnished u schedule
upon Its conVening; SO that all the waste oi pa
per and lux and the newspaper space involved
In this discussion Oi the schedule might have
torlals in the sunday press as to the friction
which might arise between the United States
government and tue District, involving a dis
solution Oh present financial relations, as Con-
gress and not the Treasury department. is the
party 10 the agreement to pay 90 per centum of
the Dlstficts EXPENSES, and " them the Com
missioners will, as | AIN informed on the best
authority. as they always have, give Iuli infor-
nation as To the minutest detail OF their pro-
posed expenditure OI the District revenues
Thanking The STAR iOr another evidence of
It's fairness In allowing the OF its columns to
statements of facts i'll connection with matters
OF public Interest, am still
ONE Who Knows
Washington, November /, 1886.