Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-11

menfs, according to tenor or purpose.
Publicity has been defined as 1.-THE state
Of being public or open to common knowl-
edge; exposure to the view or knowledge
Of the public; opposed to secrecy" At least
two members Of the board of District Com
missioners are not in accord with the best
philologists as to that definition, and one
Of these two Commissioners has publicly
argued that the mere presence of the street
extension map in the board room-to which
visitors are sometimes admitted-is public
ity enough to satisfy the nearly three hun
dred thousand people who, to a greater or
less extent, must be interested in the most
important business with which the Com
missione-s now have to do. The Star has
thought that the section maps of which the
big map in the board room is composed
should be given to the public as soon as
each section is complete and before the
Commissioners affix the seal of final ap-
prevail to the system of street extension
planned by Mr.. Olmstead. This proposition
appears to find no favor in the eyes of the
Engineer Commissioner, for while that Off
cial declares that the map is open to in
spection he nevertheless refuses to give to
the press the section maps that have al
find 1t difficult to make the statement and
the action harmonic. If the Commission
ers really desire publicity that desirable
condition can be achieved without cost
either to the District of Columbia or to the
Commissioners as Individuals; The Star is
ready to publish the section maps as mat
tiers of news value. If the Commissioners,
on the contrary. desire to Keep the great
hyIlk Of no Of ho tric ~
Columbia in ignorance OF their plans, they
will be content with pointing to the map on
the walls CT the board room and saying to
the more than a quarter of million inter-
ested people: This map is open to your in
spection for two or three unannounced
hours on each week day except Saturday;
come up and look at it, and should you
chance to come when the board room is
closed-as you probably would seven times
out Of ten-we should be delighted to have
you come again. OF course it may be in
convenient fer you to do this, but that Is
only minor consideration for we are de-
termincd not to permit anything to inter-
fere with our frequently announced pur-
pose Of giving this map all possible pub
licity. Some Of you may be so employed as
to render visit to the District building a
practical impossibility. but for that condi-
ton the Commissioners cannot reasonably
be held accountable. Come up and see the
map anyhow
In communication printed elsewhere in
The Star. reference is made to a map which
appeared in this paper April g. 1898; a map
which covered but a small portion of the
territory into which extensions were to be
pushed and which after all was merely q
suggestion. 1t was not an official map for
1t never was adopted, and today 1t has been
entirely superseded by later plans. The
skeleton in question was published, under
exactly the opposite policy concerning pub
lcity from that which now prevails. by
authority Of Engineer Commissioner Ros-
sell. who was DESTROYS of taking the public
into his confidence. and who wanted to hear
and profit by every criticism. The printing
Of the map brought forth many objections
and resulted in many changes: 1t Is reason
ably founded belief that Capt. Rossell's ex-
perience Is responsible for the absurd kind
Of publicity" which is being given to a
practically authorized map that now hangs
in the secluded board room; under the
methods now employed objections cannot
be made III til too late. OF course the large
property owners will see to 1t that their
interests are fully represented. and, should
the plans promise loss will do their utmost
to compel profitable amendment, but the
smaller holders will not, unless the section
maps are published, know very much about
the plans until lrrevocable decision has
been reached by .he Commissioners.
Officials who think that the mere act of
hanging a map on the wall Of the star
chamber gives to 1t all the publicity to
which the public is entitled can never be
accepted by modern newspapers and an
up-to-date community as satisfactory
Judges Of what constitutes news at the
District building. The local press and pub
Lie must respectfully but firmly protest
against them as censors, revisers and edi-
tors of an important branch of local news.