The Washington critic., 1888-02-04
OLIVIA" TO THE FRONT
DiSgraCefal CharacteraDd Condition
of the City POStOiHCC Building.
A BLOT UPON THE DISTRICT
Some. ExcOriating Criticisms of
Local Matters and, Methods,

clean, new Postmaster, in direct
opposition to scriptural instruction, it
has put the new wine into the most
dangerous old bottle on the face of the
globe. No mind can conceive, no pen
can describe the fearful catastrophe
which hangs by single hair sus-
pended over the head Of every human
being found within the walls of the
City PostofIice.
The grand jury Of the District,
in its report to Judge Montgomery in
the June term Of the Criminal Court,
1887, has cleared its record Of any
future blame, as the following quota
ton proves:
THE GRAND IURY's REPORT.
'1n visiting the City Postoillce we were
most thoroughly impressed with the fact
that this building is wholly inadequate
as TO accommodation and convenience for
the requirements, and absolutely un-
suitable as n receptacle for such important
and valuable mail matter and records as
are therein contained and alarmingly un-
safe and unhealthy. We find that the
upper stories have been abandoned as
utterly unfit for human occupancy, both
by reason of the unsafe condition of the
floors and ceilings and the total lack of
any sanitary arrangements for prevention
OF the escape OF sewer gas into the
rooms or any mode of ventilation.
We find one portion of the build
ing TO be in part n frame struc-
ture; the wooden stair-cases worn de-
fective and insecure; the floors supported
by light wooden girders, which are but
little more than ordinary joists, and these
carried on wooden posts throughout the
several stories. The plaster ceilings on
every story of the building have in places
fnllen away in large pieces, and especially
in those stories now occupied We could
but be impressed with the terrible fact
that the employees We're working from day
to day in continual danger of accident or
possible death by sudden falling of
some portion of the heavy plaster ceiling.
"Should at any time fire break out in
the building, 1t would be utterly impossi-
BILE to save the structure, as from its bad
construction and inhammable nature of
| its contents, such as storage of large
| quantities of mail pouches and contents
| (and there is but little provision made by
stand-pipe and hose) the incipient fire
could not be controlled or extinguished
and the whole edifice and contents would
be destroyed before the probable arrival
of the Fire Departments.
"We find there are no fire-proof safes or
| vaults for the storage Of important docu-
ments and records, and that the basement
| or cellar is situated below high-water level
and subject to be flooded from time to
time; that II IS necessarily damp and un-
healthy, infected with vermin and ruin
Gus 10 the leather pouches and other ma
terial stored theiein. We strongly recon-
mend the condemnation of ts's building
as unfit for human habitation."
When il is remembered that this is the
verbatim report of the grand jury, what
kind disappearance does this nation pre-.
semitic the civilized world2 Is statesman
ship dead in our republic, that
such official documents, stamped with
Gods eternal truth and twelve
honest jurymen, can appeariat the Capita
of the most progressive people on earth
If we look to the Old World's Nationa
Capitals we find their postal buildiog
among their finest architectural creations
il we cast our eyes around our own coun
try we see Government provision made
for every city commensurate with its size
and standing among its sister cities; if we
look at the United States Capital with it:
quarter of million people, we find G
tumble-down rookery, an abandoned ten
ement, in which rats, verInin and otficia
humanity are hopelessly struggling fol
precedence, and indesoribably mixed.
| n VIEW.
When the Republican party was in
power, true to its Feudal-Chief theory, il
seized every foot of land belonging to the
citizens of the District and erected a
despotism under the shadow Of the Ma.
tional Capitol This high-handed pro.
ceeding resulted in the blotting out OIL
confiscation ofthe majority of the humble
homes of the defenseless people; When a
mighty. Senator was approached by q
complaining sufferer he replied that ''it
was high time for the Darwinian theory
to go to work in the survival of the fit
test" In the meantime no public build
ings could arise as in other cities from the
ill-gotten spoils such as blessed New
York during the Tweed Regimes" but
in order to conciliate the Lord, or pacify
the devil, the United States Government
took the little handful of human beings
who cluster around the public buildings,
into, an equal partnership, each oneto
pay one half the expenses of making the
city such as ii should boa Capital worthy
the leading nation of the Western Conti-
nent. Governor. Shepherd said he pro-
posed the union in the spirit of. fun, and
TO hi. establishment, indignation and sor-
row the catch-penny Senators. seized the
idea and ''riveted our chains Uncle
Sam, with his pockets stuffed with thirty
seven States and no end of Territories;
his treasury piled with silver by the cubic
Iyard, while all we citizens have to show
is our City Postoffioe and rented tenement
which shelters our Commissioners; and
yet we are equal partners, sofar as the
Capital is. concerned.
1 What language can be found to paint
/ THIS KIND OF PARTNERSHIP
If bridge is to be built forthe Nation
at its Capital the people of.the District
nustpay one-half. The sun going into
partnership with our electric light; Jay
Gould, ian organ monkey, his partner"
negotiating for everything in the country
outside of that which healready owns
howls tins unequal partnership going to
endY How are we going TO support the
crime and poverty forced upon us by the
license system2 One hundred more po-
licemen are called for to look after the sa-
looms and for which we must contribute
one-half the eXpense2 What can prevent
the depreciation ofproperty, and who will
care TO own real estate when the situation
| is fully understood? Without commerce
or manufactures, destitute of natural ad-
yantages which are the sources Of wealth,
with only our monthly wages paid us by
Uncle Sam, yet forced to be his part
ner." Such union would be sublime if
| IL were not so ridiculous. We would be
inclined to laugh if we were not afraid our
Postotfice would tumble about our ears.
Only last Sunday few ofthe "boys" in
the service were in the PostoffiCe "slick-
ing up in anticipation of our handsome
new Postmaster, when an ominous drip !
drip was heard in the unocoupied upper
story, which soon turned into pour
Keys were hunted up in greatest haste,
but before the huge break could be
| plugged the Postmasters room was thor
oughly flooded from the ceiling above.
| Only few days ago huge piece of
ceiling fell in the money-order room.
Had it occurred an hour before it would
have lodged ON the heads of the people