Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-09
AT THE DISTRICT BUILDING.

been helpneets In every sense Of the word.
AT THE DISTRICT BUILDING.
A Day In the Commissioners Omce-scenes
In the Assessors' Room.
TT IS O'CLOCK AT THE DISTRICT
Il building. The hum of conversation has
ceased and the clerks are at their desks. The
wheels Of the local government begin to turn
and an atmosphere Of business prevades the
place.
Already citizens with grievances begin to
drop In. A citizen without tale Of WOO is q
scarcity at the home of the city fathers.
First Of all comes an elderly woman tall. lank
and sharp featured. The old gray sergeant at
the door moves aside as she marches in, and
directs her hastily to the water Office, the locs-
ton Of which she demanded in high, squeaky
voice. The clerks see her coming and STAN
pede. She soon rights matters, however, by
calling for some one to tell her why the water in
her house has been shut of. clerk timidly
approaches, inquiries her name and address
and then buries himself in huge ledger.
In q moment he tells her il Is because she has
not paid the water rent for the last year. and
then she proceeds to doubt his veracity in q
very emphatic manner. Poor government sery-
ant! He simply looks at her O moment, heaves
a sigh and looks out Of the window. Another
blast at the crushed government clerk. whom
she characteriZes as mushroom, liable to be
pluched at any time, and she is of to see the
Commissioners.
She takes the first door handy and Commits
sioner Ross rises to receive her. 1t takes her
just five minutes of steady talk to explain mat
tiers and the democratic member Of the board
refers her to the engineer department, under
whose charge the water department directly
comes, and bends over his work again. In the
next room she spies the president of the board,
and Commissioner Douglass looks up hastily as
she plants herself before him and commences
with the old stereotyped phrase heard 40 often
here: ~ am taxpayer and want justice"
Madam, you are perfectly welcome to 1t.
Justice is free here and we deal it out In allo-
pathic doses, says Mr.. Douglass.
She tells her story over again and is once
more referred to the engineer department.
Capt Rosseu anticipates her coming. He
has heard her sorrow through the open door Of
the board room, and before she has a chance
to display her conversational powers he tells
her he knows all about her case and that Capt.
Lusk is the man to settle it. But the patient
captain is wholly unequal to the task, and al
though he tells her the arrears will have to be
paid before the water is turned on she returns
to the statement that she ia taxpayer and
won't be subjected to the petty tyrannies of an
army officer, and at last goes out, taking re-
venge on the small swinging door by punching
1t with an umbrella.
GETTING TAG FOR HIS DOG.
Here comes a character. An aged colored
man leading dog of the lowest order of cur
dom shufles in the main entrance.
lis dis hyar de place fur to get hcensus fur
dogs?" he inquiries.
Being answered in the affirmative he Is di-
rected to that portion Of the tax collectors
Office set aside for the issuance of dog tags.
1t is separated from the remainder Of the
room by high wire screen.
"Mawnin, sir" commences the old man as
DR.. Clark, the clerk, looks up.
"Dis hyar am Abe Lincoln, sir, de bes' coon
dog ebber seen, an dey tole me when moved
hyar frum Prince George dat must pay % if
'spected to keep him. An as he am wort
good deal to me 'cluded to pay Dc money"
s.Whats your nameY"
"George Washington Parke Gusts Johnson"
"Where do you ive?"
"'Deed you got me now, boss. Up hyar be-
yond de Capitol in de alley am near enough.
I ulster lib in Prince George, but times is hard
up yonder and l moved down hyar."
The dog tag was passed out and Abe Lincoln
wagged his tail as George Washington Parke
Gusts addressed him.
''Thar. now. Youse as good as any other dog
in Washington. Took me TO days to earn dat
%, but, honey, youse WORT it, deed you isl
And SO the day goes on. Hundreds Of citi-
zens call, and the tales they tell and the scenes
=, -r,, ..,,',o., -
IN me ASehssohs BOON.
Ihere Is one place Just now OF unusual inter-
est. 1t is the room occupied by the board Of
assessors.
The of;ce ANNA r-o,,,., -. q ,,.,.,n
from that time INIT, n,cocl tbero IL st atu
stream ~ nronertv bolders looLin. over ~
new asseespanf e WV. WIZ
Tn. So,,rao - Tho MN a ia .oo..,.
are nlaceS in hook ,rJ The ruh,;c IL .Iioaad ~
sxom;,o thaso - rlaasra 7. g. p "
tbat Tow ~ a. -, 20 ,,.;t;, So ~ ppeno
hoot and ,ba az, tr;cts tha1- ,,iaSS no. na nN
sess;or ara ar,rs;nn TI.p ~y :" 20. Pos
"naintancas 49, - b. .a.e.o ao nnoi0 ~
SSnrwhara a. j., ,ha ns.a;ot =. q, ioon IMAM
meeting ernnnd Sor Al, VIZ bava a,;sua S VI
and II "a essv 60 maL. su.h So,hss Sr;onSo'
PromntIv st o.cI,.L the h"ard - .i;.et;os.
.a.s'". IA - a. eonposou " .ne n. poaru u as
$500; anu .ie as as s VI '1e Ds dnelr
so:;ne piass - ~ 'ne poaIo Iooni Vi .ne Nom-
n.ss,ohess once ana no one Is allowed 70 enter
a aua INC session commence; Ohe py
an VIC ap ~ .aAen W anu uisvusseo.
.n1 Is UPON me assessment. OF tne iand tne
the board has made it rule that where one ap-
peal Is made In square the whole square Is to be
considered, and II any reduction Is made all
property In the square is equally affected This
IL dlnerent with improvements. Each lndivid-
ual case stands upon its merits and each appeal
Is 80 considered.
Assessor Trimble is a strong advocate Of low
n md ha ia 20 all