Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-24

PITTSBURG DISPATCH,
those annual conclaves Of all sorts of organi-
cations which in former years were wont to
distribute the favor of their presence in
every part of the country. This week we
have had the Old Telegraphers, the Society
for the Advancement of Science, great
rowing regatta, besides the usual influx of
visitors by excursion" which gives one
the chance to study the provincial action
and accent peculiar to all the back counties,
as well as the front counties of the repub-
lie. The regatta brought in large number
of oarsmen and other sports, who, l suppose,
imagine they are doing as much for their
country as the scientists
The Old Telegraphers talked over the
days ante-dating the almost inconceivable
advance in the application of electricity to
the uses of mankind, while the scientists
conyersed of mysteries which suggest the
early discovery of the very elementary
forces which produce form and promise q
solution shortly of all the hidden things
which touch upon life, and death, and eter-
nifty of matter, whether that matter retain
the personality it now possesses or passee
through changes that would make it unrec-
ognizable even to ourselves, it we could see
it with the eyes of the present.
Last week we had the Society of Micro
scopists, which showed US that we are
principally made of myriads Of little ami
mails that make their home with us, and
which long ago settled in their own conven-
tions that we are created for their sole use,
which discard us when we begin to grow old
and tough; and when they begin to shake
us we soon drop into that irritating disin-
tegration called death. The microscopists
tell us what we are, the advancing scientists
tell us what we may or may mot be. The
weight of opinion seems to be that we as a
personality will not be at all, after we and
our particular billions of microbes take leave
Of each other.
NO REMEDY FOR THAT.
One strange thing is that none of the
learned scientists who come here appear to
have a remedy for the poverty and crime
that form so large part of our civilization.
Economists who have settled with us know
a little of everything except of real social
economy. They study the planets and the
suns and the comets and the nebula and
the meteorites, give big names to things
of physiology, psychology, sychometry, tele-
pathy, and SO on, but they can't devise a
simple plan by which all men and women
might earn a comfortable livelihood, in
which woman would not be the sport of
man and in which men would not be the
slaves of their fellow-men.
GOVERNMENT PARK.
We are just now having a long and alb
sorbing fight in the courts over the acquisi-
tion by the Government of land for the Rock
Creek National Park. Beginning at Wood
ley lane, Just above Georgetown, the Gov
ernment has already purchased about 200
acres for a Geological garden. They are will
ing to provide beautiful home for the mon
keys, bears, hyenas, kangaroos and other
quadrupeds, to be maintained at great eX-
pense, but not one dollar can be voted to es-
tablish what would soonsbecome a seIf-sup-
porting home for $4,000 biped animals of
the District who are living from hand to
mouth, and who are a blight and burden to
the community.
North of this land the project is to pur-
chase about 1900 acres more for a national
park, to be retained for the growing popula-
tion of the capital forever. Rock creek is a
nasty little dickens of a stream that brings
down tons of mud and acres of debris with
every freshet, and has nothing in the world
to commend it except a few insignificant
rocks which crop out in one or two places
within the territory which it is proposed to
acquire.
In time of food half of the land included
will be under water unless great wall is
built to inclose it, and then for two-thirds
of the year the stream will be yeasty with
mud. The scheme is largely due to the in
fuence of spectators in real estate, and
Just here comes in the basis of the fun they
are now having in the courts.
THE ASSESSED VALUE.
Five or six years ago the land wanted was
a wild tract, useless tor cultivation. and
largely useless for building purposes with
out enormous expenditure for grading. 1t
is not in the line of the development of the
northwest" section. The ten
dency of capital shoots widely away from it.
But it was for the most part gobbled up by
spectators at low prices, and much of it is
assessed at from S25 to $3.50 per acre, though
it is The law of the District that assessments
shall be at the full value of the property.
Sales were few and at an Insignificant adj
vance on the prices paid. But behold, the
moment the bill for the construction of the
park was passed the property was put up to
q high figure, often ten times the amount
paid and in instances even 20 times.
With the park project in view fictitious
offers of purchase were made, and these are
now being used in the fight for high prices
The owners are combined and are standing
bravely together to make the Government
pay from five to ten times more than the
property is worth, and the prospects are
that if the land is acquired at all the peo-
pie will be swindled out of million or so.
But it is possible the spectators have
overreached themselves. Already there is
general inquiry why, if this land is SO val
liable, the assessment should be so out of
proportion to the value. The spectators
swear that land which is assessed at S25 per
acre is worth 81, 900 or g, 900, and the COM
mon taxpayers are demanding that if this
is the case the land shall be properly rated
at the new assessment which will soon be
made This is specimen of the manner in
which the wealthy and influential men of
the District saddle their taxes on the poorer
people. The property of the middle
class single householders in the city is as
sessed at its full value, and often for more
than it would bring in the market, while
that of the speculators and of persons whose
single holdings are worth a large sum is put
down far below its selling value.
e. w. L.