The morning times., 1895-11-24

The citizens of Washington win prob
ably have the privilege of the ballot to-
morrow for the first time since all things
and all men were appointed for the Dis
trict OF Columbia by the higher powers.
1t is expected that The Times bond bill
ballot boxes win be in position then,
and the next thing TO do is 10 fill them
with ballots, ,4i,e= at a tine, and only one
from each voter.
The only returning board in this kind OF
election viii be the gentlemen who have
kindly consented to act as managers of
election. According 10 the usual method
of calculation, there ought to be In Wash
iDgton about $4,000 qualified voters on
the simple manhood qualification. Sup
posing that only 25,G00 residents are
property-holdcrs, that number viii al
least have a direct interest in the question
to be solved by the ballot.
As to women voting, there is certainly
nothing in the nature of the questions
Submitted TO debar them from voting If
they own property, or are mulCted annually
i'll any kind of taxation that might be ap-
piled to the payment of the interest on the
multiplied millions Of bonds about which
the lobbyists are talking 50 glibly. One
thing is certain, and that is that the vote
VIII blB W A't.Ioit''c'r
pause to consider what they Will say.
INTEREST OF LABoRNG MEN.
The current benefit OF any work, whether
of sewers or street extension, would natu-
rally be TO the day laborcrs on such works.
This is the argument. or at least one of the
arguments urged in and out of sea son by
the Commissioners and the Senate and
House committees who were driving the
bill through Congress. The House COM
mittee was so mindful t?l of the nece ssities
of the labor problem in the bond bill issue
that IL said
Whatever doubt there may be as to the
proprfety of the government undertaking to
provide for the people as matter OF gen
eral policy, there can be no question in the
opinion of the Commissioners and OF tins
committee as TO the wisdom of doing work
Of such Importance and pressing necessity
as that contemplated by the bin at time
when the incidental benefit to the unem-
ploycd would he greater than ever before"
It is evident to the wnrkingmen of the
District that if the work is To be COM
menced and rushed, as the bill urges, the
most part of it Will be done in short
time and to produce that result the number
of day laborers in The District will be but
a small proportion of the whole number
employed. On the contrary, II is argued
that should the work be done other than
in this spasmodic fashion there Will be
long period during which local labor
could be employed, and there does not
| appear to be any hurry whatever unless
| il is proposed that only those now in
office will be entitled tn marble monuments
| on the completion of the work.
NATURAL GROWTH OF VALUES.
The advocates Of haste have been con-
| founded by their own arguments as
| good reasons why there should be no haste.
| When Assessor Trimble's report was used
by the committee It shaved that within
| the last three years property in the county
| bad increased 79 per cent, and In the
years from 1884 tn 1894 the increase in
| the assessments was simply marvellous,
| and an this without bond OF sewer bill.
The following table from the assessors
books will show cnDclusively how salts
| factory was the natural growth OF values:
! Assessment of lands and improvements IN
| county: