Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-23
Work for the House District COM
miftee.

If. in obedience to the wishes of the Presi-
dent, the Houses OF Congress remain in ses-
sion through the holidays, the representa-
tives named Saturday to compose the D.s-
trct Committee will have excellent
opportunity to get together and organize
subcommittee on the various measures of
local importance that are already on the
docket and to prepare and present the bills
that must be introduced before the session
can properly be said to have begun, from
the point of view of the quarter of a million
people who are dependent upon Congress
for their domestic legislation. The Senate
has been much more Industrious than the
House in the introduction of local bills, and
the District calendar is already well filled,
some of the proposed measures being of the
first Importance. while others concern mere
routine matters. The old members of the
new District Committee of the House, how
ever. are well enough acquainted with the
history of the legislation that has failed to
be able to put into bill form at once all of
the propositions looking to the advancement
and benefit of the capital. Many of the
matters rejected or allowed to die by neglect
in the past few sessions have well deserved
such a fate, and these measures should not
be revived now. The reasons against their
enactment into law are just at potent today
as ever, and will be as surely invoked.
There are laws, however, that are sadly
needed and are demanded by the most
worthy of local interests. The municipal
building proposition should be taken up for
immediate consideration by Congress,
though the duty of dealing with this project
may not fall primarily upon the District
Committee a measure providing the
means for carrying on street and sewer eX-
tension will call for the prompt and earnest
attention of the committee The methods
Of sewage disposal must be speedily modern
lied The water supply, too, must be in
creased to provide not only for a few sea-
sons but for many years to come. OF
course definite work on such a measure
must necessarily be postponed for time.
until the report on the aqueduct tunnel is
ready, yet the committee can we'll occupy
its lesure-if there should be any-while
waiting for this document in becoming IA
miliar with this important matter. although
it may receive it's final consideration at the
hands OF the committee on appropriations.
The subject of grade crossings is great
field by itself, and an active subcommittee
of hard workers should be appointed by
Chairman Babcock at once to prepare a bill
which shall recognize the rights of the citi-
zens first of all. and shall absolutely fix a
date beyond which the maintenance of
steam railroad crossings at grade will be a
misdemeanor punishable by severe penal
ties. The bill for free public library has
not yet been presented. but it will doubtless
soon make its appearance, and there is so
little reason for opposition to a measure
which makes for the general benefit of the
people of all classes and ages that it ought
to be passed without any delay. There are
other matters of Importance to be taken UP
for action by the committee, but those that
have been mentioned perhaps deserve the
leading places.