Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-15
The Commissioners are now involved in thei,

The Commissioners are now involved in their
annual bevilderment over the meaning of the
appropriations act The section concerning
Scholastic purchases proves especially pulling
partly because they have, perhaps, reasons for
preferring not to understand it, and partly be-
cause It u a bit Of legislative patchwork. care
lessly and inartistically put together. The ap-
preparation bill, as reported to the House, pro-
vidsd that hereafter the Commits
sioners, in making purchases Of sites for
schools or other public buildings,
shall do 20 without the employment
Of sgents." As single objection would throw
out this provision in the House, the members
Who desired 10 prohibit or correct the Commits
sioners' injudicious method Of purchasing, per-
mitted . modification of this blunt and sweep
ing condemnation of the system employed by
the addition Of other words during the hasty
discussion Of the section by the House. The
provision as reported was treated as If it sal d
that no purchases of school sites should be
made through agents. and the additional words
read: ''Or through other persons not regular
dealers in real estate in the District of Column
bia, or through such regular dealers who
have not had the property for sale
continuously from the date of the passage of
this act, and in no case shall commission be
fss~ W AAoAc shoh Vuo pcAsoh VI III M VI SIcdtcE
than the usual commission And in this shape
it succeeded in running the gauntlet Of the
Commissioners friends. and was adopted. The
''or" before greater in the last line Of the
amendment seems to have been dropped some
how before the bill became law, and the Sem
ate has added clause giving the Commission
ers authority to condemn land for the Districts
uses. First there was the absolute prohibition
nj h. anti NJ
the attempt to limit the agents employed, il any,
to regular dealers in real estate who had not
obtained control Of the property since the date
Of the passage Of the act, and to prevent the
payment Of extravagant or double commissions
Lastly the power Of condemnation was added
The resulting law is ambiguous and its intent
can easily be eyaded if there is a disposition to
do 50. One thing, however, is very clearly in
dieated, and that is the disapproval and con-
demnation by both houses Of Congress of the
method of purchasing adopted by the Commits
sioners, - put into practical operation by their
agent or intermediary. The confusion results
from q failure to harmonic completely the
varied expressions of disapprobation which
have come from the House committee, the
House aud the Senate respectively. II the
Commissioners are really puzzled about the
law, their safest course would probably be to
abandon entirely the method which has been
thus condemned, and to discharge their inter-
mediary forthwith. One of the duties entrusted
to them and for which their salaries are paid is
the purchase of school sites. If they do not
wish to exercise the power Of condemnation.
they can purchase directly, and thus avoid en-
tirely the attempted limitations upon their en-
ployment of agents. If in any rare case secrecy
In binding bargain for the District is neces-
sary, the Commissioners ought not to be totally
without friends who will perform this service
for them without employment or compensation
either from the District or its vendor
Regard should be paid to the evident purpose
of the law to change the present method ofpur-
chasing through an agent to whom the District
gives its full confidence and who is supposed to
cheaper prices for it. but who is also. the paid
agent of the seller whose property he cheapens,
and whom he causes to sell to an alleged unde-
sirable purchaser. As a consequence of serving
two masters he is credited with cheapening the
price paid by the District, upon the amount of
which his commissions depend. He has been
in many cases entirely unnecessary almost
alwsysexpensive, and where his compensation
has been added to the vendors price to make
the total cost to the District, his employment
has been illegal The law attempts to abolish
him and he ought to 60.