Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-20
Public Business should He Transacted
Publicly.

Once more has the acknowledgements
policy of the District Commissioners be
come conspicuously prominent. 1t Is a pity
that the CommissioDers-or a majority Of
them-will not understand that they cannot
conduct public affairs with that degree CT
privacy which Is possible in mercantile
or professional life. This fact the board is
unwilling to recognize and its remarkable
unwillingness has led 1t to sundry more or
less successful endeavors to prevent the
publication of information that It had no
shadow of right to conceal from those
whose agent. in the concrete, the board Is.
1t is true-and sometimes 1t seems unfor-
tunately so-that the Commissioners are
not directly responsible to the people of the
District of Columbia or anywhere else, but
the manner of their selection does not offer
any morally strong excuse for the assump-
tion Of autocratic powers such as have
several times been displayed. and always
to the discredit of the improperly-secretive
officials. In such a matter as the one
which has resulted.in another ukase at the
District building the Commissioners. need
not look for sympathy from the public, for
4 publicity causes suffering in the board OF
Commissioners then the public would be
content to have the Commissioners suffer
continually. The present complaint of the
COMMISSIONERS q majority Of :hem-is
directed against The Star because The Star
made exclusive publication of the schedule
Of street improvements for the next fiscal
year. The printing of that valuable piece
Of news caused sudden and material in
crease in the Commissioners :orrespon-
dence and considerable accessions to the
number of these who walt with marvellous
meekness the pleasure of the Commission
ers who are on duty, or the belated coming
Of the Commissioner who devotes himself
to the public business as soon as seems
unto him advisable after his personal in
terests have received liberal attention. OF
course 1t would be very much more pleas
ant for the Commissioners If things could
be SO arranged as to render possible the
transaction of all public business without
the knowledge or consent of those whose
only legal privilege IL the paying of taxes.
but until 1t becomes the American practice
to elect Presidents for. six or seven terms
in succession such procedure as that which
the Commissioners undoubtedly regard as
the ideal thing will be unpopular and prac-
tically impossible Strenuous endaavor was
made to keep the public generally in fgnor-
ance as to the street-extelsion plans, end
for awhile 1t seemed as though the star
chamber method Of extending the capitals
highways would be. successfully operated.
but somehow or other the plans escaped
from their keepers and were made known
to the many thousands of interested resi-
dents. If The Star was inclined to be apol-
ogetic it might say that it deeply regretted
being the cause of additional labor for the
board Of Commissioners. but inasmuch as
the members of that board were appointed
for the purpose of transacting freely and
fully. with the popular consent, all public
business delegated to them by Congress,
no one need make excuses for doing any
thing likely to result In compelling the
Commissioners to live up to the specifica-
lions of their contract with the public