Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-19

When the Commissioner efficiently aidedby
Mr. Fish. forwarded to the Senate a mass of
injurious untruths. levelled at The STAR. this
paper Indignantly denounced the whole per-
Torrance as malicious. The Commissioners,
in response, have posed as dislnterested public
officers, constrained TO do as they did by the
compulsion of duty. They are represented as
asserting that they assume all responsibility in
the matter. and that the assessors only offense,
If any, has been the furnishing of information
in response to a demand made on him by his
superior officers to enable them to answer a
resolution of the Senate. The recollection of a
few facts will throw light upon the question
whether the Commissioners and Mr.. Fish fur
nished this information" in good faith in re-
Spouse to a demand of the Senate or
whether the Senate inquiry was procured
TO furnish the cloak of privilege
for misrepresentation previously concocted.
The resolution Of inquiry was passed by the
Senate on February It'll. The letter from the
Commissioners to Mr.. Fish was dated January
25th and his replies January 10Th and January
18th. respectively. Evidently the misinforma-
ton which Mr.. Fish furnished could not have
been intended to answer aSenate inquiry which
was not yet made. Its real purpose may be
gathered by comparison of the dates of the
letters with the date Of the Taubee investiga-
ton. which began on January 26th, and which
ON February witnessed the famous boomerang
crusade of the Commissioners against THE
STAR into which the assistant attorney for the
District unsuccessfully attempted to inject
this correspondence. This attempt to punish
The STAR for venturing to critieise certain
cficial acts of the Commissioners. or. more di-
rectly, the acts of certain of their subordinates,
proving a pitiful failure, the attack was re-
newed elsewhere. Senator Riddleberger. who
announced himself the champion of Mr. Webb
at the last meeting OF the District committee,
secured the passage by the Senate of an inquiry
concerning the taxation of District corpora
tions.
The Commissioners forwarded the previously
cooked-up attack on The STAR as a reply. They
studiously ignored apparent inconsistencies of
the assessor in assessing other corporations.
They disregarded the fact that side BY side
with The STARS assessment of $4,000. which
they raise by wild figuring to millions, stands
the assessment of a lively, valuable, and es-
teemed contemporary newspaper in the sum of
goo. They failed to notice what every bust
ness man would perceive by the most casual
reference to the stock reports, that some cor
porations in the list were assessed at less than
their face value when far more than par value
was bid for the stock, and that in some
cases consideration solely of the mar
ket value of the stock would work
wonderful changes in the assessment
The Commissioners were concerned merely
with reference TO The STAR; so they sent to
the Senate the misinformaticn concerning it
which they were unable 20 utilize against it on
another occasion. and took especial palms. as
upright public officers intent only upon their
duty, to secure full publication of the untruth-
full charges i'll the newspapers. The tax CORES
pondence and the Senate resolution fit very
nicely, but since the former came first it can
not be that the latter caused the former though
the reverse may be true.
Mr.. Fish. as an appointment under Mr.
Webs administration, mindful of fayors
received, and hopeful. in case of a second
term for the president of the board. of favors
to come, has been a grateful and ardent cham
pion of Mr.. Webb in his Fl ht for confirmation.
One feature of this fight has been a determined
effort to destroy the influence of The STAR.
which has incurred the hostility of Commits
sioner Wheatley, lumber dealer. by urging on
grounds of public policy. an amendment of the
building lien law, and of Commissioner Webb.
by crlticising the conduct of his intermediary in
making real estate purchases and by failing to
support his confirmation. In this engagement
Mr.. Fish has been quick TO supply ammu-
milton for the Commissioners, and il was
doubtless with the best of intentions..that he
furnished The STAR tax cannon, which. from
a flaw in its construction has so ANONYMOUSLY
exploded in the firing. After elaborate prepara-
ton and with great display of ingenuity. the
Commissioners and their champions have
vented their malice on The STAR and il. is not
now open to them to dodge behind the fence
OF privileged communications and public duty
for protection against the responsibility of one
who publishes untruths with intent to iniure.
The Senate of the United States has been I'M
consciously used as a means of accomplishing
bit of dirty spite-work. but under the circum-
stances its resolution of inquiry furnishes no
shield to those who procured it, When the
facts are known the Senate may be expected to
resent so palpable triAing with its dignity.