Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-24
Mrs. Hearst's Attorneys Put in a
Strong Protest.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE Site
Some interesting Questions Affect
ing the Controversy.
OTHER DISTRICT MATTERS

Speaking Of the protest made Dy resi-
dents of the West End yesterday against
the location of the garbage crematory on
oath street near street, Commissioner
Truesdell said to a Star reporter this
morning that 1t would be some. time yet
in all probability before definite decision
Is reached in the matter. In case it was
decided to abandon the site 1t would be
necessary to select a new one, and this
would require a considerable amount or
| time and labor and might even require
some special legislation from Congress on
| the subject A decision may be rendered
| in the ordinary course of events when ap-
plcation is made for permit to erect
the crematory The Commissioners, he
said, find themselves pretty busy just now
with Congress in session, and much Dis
| trict legislation to look after, and as the
crematory site does not have to be set
tied at once it will probably not receive
careful attention for several days, If not
for couple Of weeks.
1t is very evident that the people OF that
section of the city do not intend to let
the matter drop either now or later, ana
one of the most prominent of them said TO
a Star reporter today that If necessary
the whole matter would be called to the
attention of Congress and relief would be
asked for Another hearing will also be
| asked of the Commissioners. as many OF
those who are greatly interested in the
location of the crematory did not know of
the hearing. 1t held mainly at the
instance of the West End League, of which,
of course, not all of them are members.
Another volley was fired at the Com
mssioners today in the form of a protest
from Messrs. Britton & Gray, the attorneys
of Mrs. Hearst. whose house is at New
Hampshire avenue and goth street, quite
near the proposed site of the crematory,
and who is very much in earnest in her
| intention to fight the proposition. Their
4, 1n~ 11,- tIa ion,
Of opinion from the Commissioners, as
voiced in the report Of Health Officer
Woodward, which was made public
| through The Star yesterday. The letter
says:
"In common with the many residents and
property owners in that most valuable and
prominent residence section of the city, AMI
wherein all personally included.
| Mrs. Hearst justly believes that what is
offensive and dangerous to health should
| not be inflicted arbitrarily upon them, nor
| the value of property enhanced by costly
residences deliberately assailed nor. in
deed, that such crematory should be placed
anywhere except upon or beyond the city
| limits and farthest away from the centers
of population.
THE location of the crematory pro-
posed could not be justified in any view
unless upon the certainty that 1t could not
| under any conditions be either offensive to
smell or injurious to health. From today'S
issue of The Evening Star we note the at
tached clipping. giving the results of
Health Officer Woodwards recent visit to
Philadelphia and Atlantic City. With re-
spect to the Philadelphia crematory, he
states:
1.-The only nuisance arising from it at
that time was due, in my opinion, to care
less dumping of the carts, whereby the
garbage was permitted to roast and
shoulder outside of the furnace ITSELF
I'VE suggest that what thus admittedly
exists in Philadelphia may and will quite
as readily and certainly be experienced
character
sarily employed at such works will Ger
tainly be such that carelessness and in
difference will occur-it cannot be pre-
vented. The citizens within large radius
will thus suffer directly both offensive
odors and the greater injury to health.
The published report does not disclose the
location Of the Philadelphia crematory:
We do not believe it is on or near Broad
street, or Spring Garden street. or other
choice localities of that city corresponding
| to that in Washington which is thus
threatened.
"Dr. Woodward's thus published report
on the Philadelphia crematory Immediately
adds to the foregoing:
"'Some smoke arose from the stacks
while 1 was near by, but If any odor orig
| mated from this source it could not be
distinguished by me-
But the good doctor had just declared
that the only nuisance arising from it at
| the same time was due to careless dump
ing of the carts whereby the garbage was
permitted to roast and shoulder outside
Of the furnace ITSELF With that admitted
and perceptible odor then present the doc
tor certainly could not have distinguished
| separate odor arising from the stack
The odor from the careless dumping was
present, for the doctor so reports, and
as any odor from the stack would be of
the same kind We can understand that
even the doctors experienced olfactores
could not distinguish degrees in the same
odor, nor perceive an cdor from the top of
the stack when the cdor from careless
dumping near the ground filed his nostrils.
The portion of Dr. Woodward's Atlantic
City inspection report, as thus published,
states that second crematory was there
built, with departures from the original de-
sign, and with resulting failure. He adds:
Its failure resulted in the accumulation
of thousands Of tons Of garbage in the
yard of the crematory; and this putrefying
mass is at present being removed, with a
| resulting odor that is better conceived Of
than smelt
All the works of man are imperfect, and
Il may happen that even the proposed ere
matory may become disabled What then
will be the condition? Does not the doc
tors description Of the situation at At
lantic City fully answer the inquiry? Could
such thing be imagined as existing in the
very choicest portion of Washington's resi-
dence property, and placed there by your
voluntary action? There are many places
where the crematory may be placed far be-
ycnd such annoyance and positive danger.
Conceding. for arguments sake. that your
power to SO act is absolute-"many things
are lawful which are not expedient." Is it
the wise, just commendable exercise Of
| discretion to disregard and deny the unani-
nous protests Of hundreds of citizens and
taxpayers? Does the golden rule of con-
duct fail in application to the administra-
ticn of our municipal affairs? Or does its
operation cease when the citizen has
voice at the ballot box to correct his
| wrongs? Would these protestants vote this
nuisance upon themselves? Whom do the
Commissioners represent VIXEN they vote
Its inf1iction against the unanimous pro-
test?
The appropriation act which implicitly
| authorizes this cromatory also provides "a
for smallpox hospital upon the extreme
eastern edge of the city, and far removed
from the centers of our population, and (2)
that no hospital for minor contagious dis
eases shall be located or used within 800
feet Of any dwelling. Did Congress antici-
pate a crematory for offal and garbage
would be placed In the finest residence sec
ton of the capital? Had 1t done So can
any one doub, its prohibition would have
been strongly and plainly expressed?
Even we are theoretically within the con-
stitutional guarantees of life. liberty and
| property" but when life and property are
THUS directly assaled liberty becomes of no
Importance. The threatened wrong is too