Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-20
K EEPl NC IT D A R K
Suspicious Aroused By the Policy Of
Secrecy.
Information That Was Withheld
From the Public Regarding
the Garbage Contract.

AS showing how the rule of the Commits
siorers, which forbids the giving of infor-
ma tion to the press by subord;nates and
encouraging secrecy in every possible way,
works in actual practice, a sample case
may well be cited with profit. There are
people who think that what public officials
do should be made public in the interest of
the community unless publicity works a
positive injury. The Commissioners are
rot among these people, and it is said that
they are contemplating wearing at least
one kid glove apiece during office hours
in order that their left hands may not
know what their right hands are doing.
Yesterday communication was received
by the editor of The Star asking for GER
tain information which the writer said he
had been unable to secure. 1t was mat
ter with which the people of Washington
have every right to be kept informed, and
with reference to which no possible inter-
est could be conserved through secrecy.
Here is the communication in full:
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
The Undersigned, a humble citizen Of the
District, not being able to get any in
formation himself on the subject, would
like the assistance of The Star in nding out
what has been decided within The sacred
precincts of the holy of holies'' in refer
ence to the new garbage contract. The
several local contractors VINO are waiting
for chance to bid for the work have
heard it rumored that, owing to congress
sional influence, the entire sixty thousand
a year is to be dumped into the capacious
NAV of the present Baltimore contractor
without even the formality of competition.
The silence of the Commissioners is GER
tainly very suspicious when we consider
that the present contract was given out in
February, so that the contractor would
have ample time to get his plant ready by
the 1st of July following, and in the pres
ent instance we have the beginning of
April here and the specifications not even
advertised. This information is necessary
in a strictly business sense, and The Star
will confer great favor by publishing it,
j. l.. THOMAS.
A Reporters Investigations.
The matter was turned over to the un-
fortunate repertorial outlaw who does
the District building for The Star for the
purpose Of securing the information de-
sired, as it is a question in which every
householder in the city is directly interest
ed.
In the good old days gone by it would
have been possible to get the desired facts
without delay. Things are different under
the new rule of the Commissioners, and
it took some hours and much red tape to
get at the very simple facts in the matter.
Under the system now in vogue DR.. Tin
dali. the secretary of the board of Com
missioners, is the official filter through
whom alone matters of public interest are
allowed to percolate before they can be
made known to the taxpayers of Washing
ton. in whose interests the Commissioners
are supposed to labor. He is the only re-
course Of the newspaper men, and the mat
ter was laid before him.
Il really do not know anything about it."
said DIR. Tindall. Il was away when the
matter was considered. I believe it has
been turned over to the health officer and
the attorney for the District for a report.
You might see the Commissioners about
it,"
Thank you"
Commissioner Ross is out of the city.
Commissioner Truesdell was not at the
District building. Commissioner Powell
was In his room, however, and, with the
assistance of a jimmy, a brace and bit,
sledge hammer and dark lantern, an en-
trance was effected into the sacred pre-
cincts Much good it did. There were two
visitors in the room not under the news
paper ban, and the outlaw reporter might
as well have stayed in the strong room
ed in the Commissioners office until the
hands of the electric clock showed that 1t
was too late to get anything into the
paper, and then he departed.
IIealth Officer Woodward Explains at
His Peril.
This morning the letter was shown to
Health Officer Woodward. That courageous
officer took his official life in his hands,
and said that he thought he might be per-
mitted to answer the question without
violating the Commissioners rule as he
did not construe it as covering matters of
this sort.
Il have already submitted to the Commits
said DR.. Woodward, "a draft of the
proposed police regulations which are to be
put into effect this coming year to regulate
the collection of garbage, providing they
meet with the approval of the Commission
ers. A knowledge of the rules that are to
be enforced is necessary, of course, to the
contractors before they can bid intelligent
ly on the work. 1 am now engaged in
drawing up a contract for the work, which
will be so worded, hope, that the District
will not get altogether the worst of the
bargain. When this has been approved by
the Commissioners, they will advertise for
lids for the work. The present contractor
will have a chance to bid, but others will
have the same privilege. The contract will
be awarded in season SO that the con-
tractor will have plenty of time to con-
struct his plant before the beginning of the
next fiscal year. A couple of months would
be sufficient, but he will have more than
that"