National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-11
TIE WAITER SUPPLY.
An Investigation Needed Into the Meth
DDS OF the West Point Managers.


EDIToR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN: Your
suggestion that civil engineer is wanted
on our water works is good one, but IL
covers only half the ground. II should be
supplemented by adding, And II don't want
any West Point engineer.
What ought to be done Is for the commits
sioners to have an investigation of the whole
matter from its inception to date. II Con-
gress Will order that, It can easily be shown
that we might have had the same amount
Of water here in 1sS1-'2 that we are to have
in 1878, and at one-half the cost.
IT can further be shown that the same
west Point influences concocted and still
have In view another scheme, under the pre-
tense OF an alternative water supply,n that
II carried out will add one half OF 1000, 900
more to the burdens of this debt-ridden
District.
Also another scheme, Just being worked
up by articles In the Sunday papers, in
spired If not written by these engineer OIL
GERS, which they say will cost another
Sl,OOO,O0O, but which, judging from our ex-
perience in the aqueduct matter, will cost
S2,COO,OOO II entered upon. ] refer TO the
proposed filter. AS has been shown by
analysis, our water is purer than that fur
nished to any city In the country with pos
sibly two exceptions, and hence there is no
necessity for any such work. If there was
the money spent on the worse than useless
reservoir would have built the filter instead.
Why was II not suggested thenY Was not
its necessity as apparent then as now?
The fact is that the whole matter has
been contrived and managed by the West
Point engineer part of the District govern
mcnt simply to enable 1t to experiment at
the expense of the people Of the District
and the general government, and It is time
II was stopped. So far as the original
scheme is concerned, Mr.. Lydecker Is not
responsible, because 1t was worked up by
his professionalism. HoXie primarily
and Maj. Twining assenting The filter
scheme, however, seems to have originated
with the present engineer officials. This
increased cost Of the water extension Is q
matter that affects the taxpayers of the
District In q special manner, because the
last section of the act provides that "one-
half shall be paid by the District, with 3
per cent interest,"" and then It adds,
land the water rents shall be so regulated
from time to time as to pay the expenses of
maintaining the said works and appendagGs-
'pd the interest on tho capital pAccount
creatGu'p accordance with. .tfiis provision
in addition to'he charges now imposed by
law. After the eXtlnguishment of said ac-
| count, and until further action by Congress
the surplus water rents shall be paid into
the treasury Of the United States.n Act of
July 10, 1889, sec, 3.
From this 1t will be apparent that the Ma
| TIoNAL REPUBLICAN was mistaken when 1t
stated in May last that as soon as the aque.
duct was completed we would have the
water free, an idea that seems to prevail
| generally In the District. Instead, the rates
are TO be increased. Why the water-takers
of the District should be taxed to main.
tain the works and appendages which
supply the United States departments,
the capitol, the fish ponds hatcheries, &C.,
] cannot understand, nor why the surplus
from the increased water rents paid by citl
zens should be paid into the United States
treasury. II II provided that 1t should be
paid In to the credit of the District there
would be some reason in it, because then
the District would get the benefit of 1t IN
the way of increased revenue, but, as the
law reads, II goes entirely to the benefit OF
the United States government, though paid
entirely by the citizens of the District.
FEB. o, 1856. w. e. DODGE.