Evening star., 1895-04-03
THE POLICY OF SILENCE
Still Very Little News Leaks Out Of the
Board Room.
Not Much to BE Ascerfained About the
Fender Question-A New
Letter Book.

low calf-bound letter book In which to
record such Of its sacred proceedings as, in
the opinion of the board, may. without
improperly, be given to the public.
At first sight this would not seem to be
a matter of sufficient Importance to war
rant newspaper publication, but when it Is
remembered that, since the now famous
enacted, the letter book. in which are
copied the orders and communications
which emanate from the Mystic Order of
Three. is almost the only source of In
spiration for the benighted and outlawed
reporters whose duty 1t is to keep the tax
payers Of Washington informed of what
Is being done for and against them, the
mere statement that new letter book has
been called into service Is fraught with
deep significance. 1t opens up charming
vista of possibilities. With hundreds of
blank pages of tissue paper to be covered
with orders for the laying of water mains
and the abandonment of worn-out pumps,
with letters to people who do or who do
not want something, with appointments Of
third assistants to the deputy chimney
like import, one quickly sees that there is a
broad field for conjecture as to just how
much the Mystic Order of Three may be
willing to let the poor public know.
Many Empty Pages.
True, there was nothing of interest in the
letter book today-there usually Is Just
about that much-but there may be some
thing tomorrow. This morning all that this
picturesque volume contained was a copy
OF the garbage regulations. which were pub
hshed in The Star as an advertisement yes
Secretary of the Interior with reference to
some people who are supposed to be insane,
and whose commitment to the asylum was
desired
ing evident on the part of the Mystic Order
of Three that 1t would be just as well not
to enforce their Objectionable order too rig
orously, and the impression was out that
hereafter the bonds Of secrecy would not
be held quite so tightly. This may have
been a mistaken idea, or 1t may be that not
much has been done, for the fact remains
that very little information has managed
to trickle through the office filter, the sec
retary of the board. and things are not
now as they used to be when the Commits
sioners went on the principle that public
acts were fit subjects for public print
forbidding any employe of the District
building, except the secretary of the board,
from giving out any information for publi-
cation, is still in force, Notwithstanding the
impression that the order was woried in a
Pickwickian sense. and was never intended
to be enforced.
The Fender Question.
The most important matter before the
Commissioners just now is their contest
with the electric and cable Companies, with
reference to putting tenders on the cars.
1t is needless to say that the public takes
a very sharp interest in the question wheth-
er or not the Commissioners are going to
enforce their order, directing the cars to be
equipped with tenders by April and in de-
fault to pay fine of SIS day for every
car not so provided with the life-saving
apparatus. Yet 1t is no easy task to find
yhof fha (f,v11R csi0 1ANy,
the matter or what plan they have in con-
temptation. The order was issued to the
&C mpandes over two months ago. The time
within which the order was to be complied
with has expired, but the police department
has been notified not to enforce the order
or to take any steps looking to the punish
ment of the delinquent companies until fur
ther orders.
The Washington and Georgetown Rail-
read Company, for example, has seventy
grip cars which are in daily use. OF this
number only one Is said to be equipped
with the fender. The order Is three days
overdue. If the penalty had been enforced
the company would now be out of pocket
just $5,115 already, and no signs of the
order being lived up to In the near future.
Yet all the Commissioners have done has
teen to write to this and to the other Of
Tending companies, asking them why their
cars have not been equipped.
Major Powell, the Engineer Commissioner,
said to a Star reporter today that Mr..
Claude of the Rock Creek Railway Com
rany had been to the Commissioners office
today for a personal interview, and that a
letter had been received from the Ecking-
ton company on the matter. Asked wheth-
er any information on these two subjects
would be given to the public, Major Powell
said that they were under the advisement
of the board, and he did not know whether
anything would be settled or in such condi-
ton that it could be given out.
So much for the merits of a system of
secrecy which the Commissioners approve.
although not unanimously.
An official Of the District government told
a Star reporter this morning that the
Washington and Georgetown Railroad
Company had really done all in its power
to equip the cars with tenders. but that 1t
was found to be physical impossibility to
do so within the prescribed time. He had
been told by the contractor some time ago
that every effort had been made to hurry
the work of making the tenders, but that
it required considerable time to make the
first model to fit the cars. After that it
was not such a difficult task to cast the
other tenders; but even then all the cars
could hardly be equipped before the 1st of
May. So far as he knew, however, most
of the other companies had taken practi-
cally no steps toward compliance with
the order.
All of this delay may be perfectly ex-
cusable and proper, but the public natural
like to know what the Commissioners have
done or are going to do about it, and they
feel that this desire is reasonable and justi-
fable.
News Given Ont.
Although little has leaked out with ref
erence to this important matter, the Mystic
Order Of Three have been able to find no
reason why the public may not be given
the benefit of the following more or less
important gems Of thought and nuggets of
information:
The inspection of the new Mt. Pleasant
school, which resulted in the contractor
being ordered to remove the slate roof and
to substitute slate Of better quality, as
stated in The Star Monday, was not the
result of an investigation conducted by the
Commissioners, but was made by the build
ing inspector some weeks ago, and the
change has already been made to his COM
plete satisfaction.
The Commissioners have granted pensions
of 800 a month each to Mary E. Hagan.
widow of Policeman John T. Hagan, and
Annie B. Raft, widow of Policeman Henry
Raft, payable from the policeman's relief
fund.
Lyman H. Lamb and Charles e. Finder
have been appointed additional privates of
the police f rec for three years for service
at the National Base Ball Park and with
the Bottlers' Protective Association, re-
spectively.
Many BeQuests.