Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-19
AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT.

Vice President Cook of the Fedora ton
ReseDts What He Deems nm Aspersion
To the Editor OF The Evening Star:
Sir: In your issue Of Saturday you put
the laboring people in a false attitude
the sewer and street extension question
when you say that some of the labor lead
ers favor conducting the work piecemeal
by payments from current taxes, even IL
they are not duplicated from the United
States treasury, viewing it apparently as
an economical scheme to exempt Uncle
Sam, the largest local taxpayer, from his
oblig in the matter. We most en-
phatically deny the aspersion, and charge
that those who have the ear of congress
sional committees have sacrificed the in
terest of the District to carry out their
own selfish ends; namely, In the House
bend bill saddling all the burden of street
extension on the people of the District
and exempting the United States from the
obligation CT paying half of that expense.
We think every attempt Of Congress to
violate their share of the expenses of the
District should be resisted by every one
who is a friend of the District, as the CEN
sor of congressional opinion Of late years
is to violate the obligation as expressed in
the organic act of 1878 and has been in
a number of cases. Therefore We are in
favor of holding the government up to the
rack in eXpending all the taxes and
revenues of the District each year in build
ing sewers and increasing our water sup
ply. We think there cannot be econom-
ically expended over one million year in
sewers. and. as per report OF board OF
trade there was last year 81 $50. 900 sur
plus, and will be the same amount this
year II the board of trade and all other
citizens would make q united effort. We
probably could induce Congress to allow
us to expend the surplus in building sewers
and increasing our water supply. Yours,
respectfully, GEO. o. COOK,
Vice President Federation of Labor.
The Star is glad to be Informed that
there is O difference of opinion among the
local labor leaders concerning the advisa-
bility, under any circumstances, of per-
hitting Uncle Sam to avoid his obligation
of duplicating from the treasury local tax
payments for District sewers. In recent
public communication Master Workman
Simmons Of District Assembly CO, Knights
of Labor, said: Last year the labor or
ganizations petitioned Congress to let the
District have sS00,O0 of its own surplus
revenues for sewers, even If it was not
duplicated from the treasury" The Star,
knowing that Washington's workingmen are
men Of too much sense and business sa-
gacity to entertain this foolish sentiment
Of Indifference concerning Uncle Sans par
ticipation in local municipal expenses,
ascribed this view. not to all the Districts
laboring people or even to the labor or
ganizations, but to some of the labor
leaders," and in describing the policy i'm
puted to these leaders The Star used sub
stantially the words employed by Mr.. Sim
mons himself. The vice president Of the
Federation of Labor now says that to
impute to some labor leaders the policy
which Master Workman Simmons OF the
Knights of Labor announced as that or
the local labor organizations is an asper-
sion which puts the laboring people In
false attitude. There seems to be an issue
of fact between the master workman and
the vice president. 1t is not for The Star
to determine which is entitled to speak
for the labor organizations, but The Star
will say that the sensible workingmen OF
the capital, organized or unorganized, are
on the same platform with respect to the
80 per cent arrangement as all other good
citizens. and whether bonds or current
revenues are used for sewer building they
will never consent to any method Of pay
ment which exempts Uncle Sam from this
obligation and will never. while in their
right minds, express Indifference as 10
whether the disaster Of a national repudi0-
ton Of this agreement shall or shall not
hefall the national capital