Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-15

Historians who may some day need to
know how the national capital progressed
toward the close Of the nineteenth century
Its requirements and its possessions-will
ind the material easy of access and con-
veniently arranged In the reports submitted
to the annual meeting of the Board of
Trade. Ever since the organization of the
board, the reports have been comprehen-
sive and accurate. and those which were
read at the meeting Monday evening and
printed in The Star Tuesday were equal
I'm exhaustiveness and In point of value to
any of their predecessors. While a great
deal has been accomplished toward the i'm
provement of the city and its establishment
as a business center there are still many
needs. attention to which was directed In
the various reports presented Monday
night. Among these most pressing require
ments of Washington may be enumerated
a new municipal building, a hospital for
contagious diseases, the abolition of grade
crossings, a solution of the railroad term
inal problem and the erection of a union
passenger depot, the enlargement of the
police and fire departments, the reclama-
ton of the Eastern Branch flats and the
Improvement of the Potomac flats as a
public park, the establishment of a free
public library, the erection of a memorial
bridge across the Potomac between the
Long and Aqueduct bridges, the repeal of
the personal tax law, the provision of more
adequate freight facilities the extension
of the sewer system, the revision of the
law In regard to the practice of medicine,
an adequate milk and dairy inspection and
an economics al and healthful solution of the
garbage problem. These and many other
subordinate problems still confront the citi-
Gems OF the District. Unquestionably much
has been accomplished through the agency
and influence of the Board of Trade, which
has been a more than worthy successor to
the organizations that formerly represented
In a measure the desires of the people in the
District. In the broadcast sense this board
constitutes the business element of WASH
hgton. Composed as it is of a half a thou
sand representative citizens whose aggre-
gate interests in the actual welfare of
the District can probably be capitalized at
many millions of dollars, 1t is in position
to accomplish a great deal through the
committees of Congress which have direct
dealings with the legislation which affects
local interests. Under the present system
of municipal government in the District 1t
Is doubtful If any more appropriate or eff
cient organization could be effected than
the Board of Trade. In the light of pre-
vious accomplishments 1T is reasonable to
hope that the problems that have been
above enumerated, which have already oc-
cupied the attention of the board to some
extent, may be satisfactorily solved. While
there may be some temporary disappoint-
ment among the friends of good govern.
ment because of the failure of the board
to take Affirmative action on the civil SER
vice resolution it is to be believed that the
.tSH
vorable to the organization and its work
1t is probable that the failure of the board
to accord the resolution proper treatment
was due more to a misunderstanding of
the situation than to any hostility to the
principles involved.