Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-23

The Star congratulates the people Of the
District OF Columbia upon the conclusion
reached by the conferees on the District
appropriation bill with regard to the propo-
sition 10 Increase the height of the Great
Falls dam-an agreement which will doubt
less be ratified by both houses when the
cor ference report is presented. How much
this success means to the community only
a small proportion of the residents fully
realize: IL cannot be expressed in figures
nor would II be easy to adequately describe
the Inconvenience and suffering that must
surely have come had the investigatory
proposition of the Senate overthrown the
appropr.ating tendency of the House. To
avert the real peril which threatened AMI
TO bring into existence desirable water
supply conditions. The Star-as soon as the
Senate made known its obstructive desire
gave To the public all the necessary avail
able information as to the whole matter
and when il seemed as though there was
imminent danger of damage to the eity's
health. called. and not in vain. upon public
sentiment to exercise it's influence in one
of the best of causes. The immediate re-
suit of the agitation was an irresistible out
pouring of protests from leading citizens
and of complaints from a surprisingly large
number of those who pay literally for
water that has not and is not now being
delivered To them. These protests and COM
plants were at once forwarded to the Sem
ate ard from that body speedily found
their way to the coaferees. Meanwhile The
Star continued to publish facts, and argu-
rnent based on those facts, to show how
cruelty even a few months delay would
operate. The board of trade, too, was far
from idle; devoting an entire evening to
unanimously one-sded but extremely profit
able discussion of the undesirable condi
tiCns that now exist but which, even
though the work of raising the dam be pro-
ceeded with at the earliest possible mo-
ment. must be much more undesirable be-
fore relief comes. Some of the local news
papers-notably The Times and The Post
took up the refrain and did their share in
notifying Congress of the popular desire.
The result of all this was harmony in the
conference committee as to the item appro-
priatins s1.s,.000 with which to so elevate
the dam that increased water-pressure will
follow and the famine that even now exists
will no longer be. But the work upon the
dam is not the only Improvement contem-
plated by Congress; for coincident with the
increasing of the supply there will be in
vestigation as to the availability of the dis
CIctAlGu dpucOuCl lui4Atl. It VI lLiS PulPcoc
the sum of $1,000 is appropriated and, ac-
ccrding to the terms of the act, Congress
must be informed on the first Monday in
December next as TO whether il is feasible
ana proper TO complete the tunnel now
projected and to finish and make use of the
half-con5tructed reservoir east of the How
ard University shaft OF the tunnel. In all
this action there is encouraging promise of
refreshment for the many residents of the
District who have been compelled to drag
cut drOughty sort of existence because
the government has heretofore failed to
keep Its water-supply contract while liz
sistinS upon collecting every cent of the
taxes to which it had legal but no moral
claim. Primarily, we are to have by the
autumn of 1896 Il water supply that will
reach the higher Levels, and, following this
Invaluable Aforementioned upon the IN
yesugation to be made-we will probably
have additional distribution either through
the now-useless turnel or through an ex-
tension Of the system of mains which so
far as 1t goes is admirabIe For the part
it has taken in bringing such a desirable
state of affairs to pass, The Star has to say
nothing more than that it did simply the
duty conflded to it by those who know it
to be a true representative of the people of
the District of Columbia.