Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-02

of water will wear the largest rock is again
demonstrated by Mr. Bellamy Of North
Carolina, in the House of Representatives.
His bombshell on the amount of rent paid
by the Government annually to the prop
erty owners of Washington woke up the
solons. The GLOBE is the drop Of water
that is eating into these and other abuses
existing at the seat of the Government We
have time and again shown up the rent paid
the star newspaper more for its silence
than its space by August w. Machen, super
intendent Free Delivery. We nipped
scheme of Mikey Lewis, superintendent of
Supplies, to rent the Bush building which
he had about completed when we busted"
the scheme.
There is no use Disgusting the matter or
sugar coating the fact that the real estate
sharks and property owners of Washington
are in league to rent and lease the Govern.
ment such buildings as are required and to
prevent the Government from erecting the
much needed structures. Even the District
government, such as it is, rent and lease
and pay enormous rents, instead of like
Paris, Berlin or London erecting public
edifces in keeping with the city. The
Board of Trade dominates everything of
local character and the membership of the
Board of Trade is almost exclusively real
estate operators. There are not to exceed
ten merchants in this alleged Board Of
Trade of Washington No wonder the
money so cheerfully subscribed by Boards
of Trade in all other cities to entertain the
National EnCampment of the Grand Army
of the Republic Is refused by this organi-
zation Of real estate operators and property
owners with buildings 10 rent to the Ma.
tional Government as well as to the District
In all this scheming the Star plays the
stellar role. It has a building which is
taxed ridiculously low and even then the
Government pays one half!
The fairy story is kept Ap and dinged
into the ears of Congress by these real es
tate sharks and property owners that the
Government ought to pay one half the
taxes, as the Government owns one half
the real estate of the city. The Govern
ment owns the parks, which are non-pro-
/ ductive and the building lots it owns are
equally So as the real estate sharks, specu-
latOrs and renters lobby successfully against
the Governments utilizing these lots by
the erection of public edi6ces. From the
| Patent Office to the boundary, for more
than twenty-five blocks, there is not sin
gle Government structure. In all sections
of the city the Government is a renter
Take the Union Building for an example
1 The syndicate who erected that structure
got their money back in three years. and it
has been a gold mine since The census
building is another example Of this kind OF
damphoolishness.
| Why the Government will pay out in rent
year after year to these rings Of property
owners and real estate spectators money
sufficient to erect on its own building lots
the structures it needs is accounted for by
the pulp of ihe spectators and the
"divy" paid out to certain officials
| The property owner in Washington has
| the whole country contributing to
enhance the value of his property, but not
content OF satisfied with this snap he or
ganizes himself into "a gang with a pulp
and rents to the Government the structures
the Government would erect itself if it was
not prevented, cheated and swindled by its
servants or neglected by the Congress.
Take again this Star building II the
owners Of that structure erected il in their
native GAINESVILLE CO., they would pay
double the tax they are required to pay in
Washington And if they erected it in a large
city like Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago or
| ST. Louis they would be taxed four dollars
/ for the one dollar assessed in Washington.
I No wonder that the Star ''hollers" for more
and larger appropriations to beautify
| Washington" and incidentally increase the
value of the Star building
Two hundred thousand dollars paid out
by the Government annually in rent is the
/ penalty exacted by property owners, the
one.half Of whose taxes is paid by this
same Government under the gauzy pre-
tense or subterfuge that the Government is
half owner of city property The few
buildings the Government owns in Wash
ington do not constitute one-twentieth nor
one hftieth the value Of the structures
owned by private citizens, and the unpro-
ductive real estate il owns and on which it
can never realize penny. such as parks,
etc, is not one half nor one-hundreth the
valuable and productive real estate held by
! private citizens.
The whole thing is-bare faced robbery
and many congressman and Senators are in
1t, knowing the facts, because they, too,
own real estate aud property in Washing
ton. Under pretense of beautifying the
Nations Capital these rings of real estate
sharks and spectators are compelling the
whole country TO contribute in enhancing
the value Of Washington real estate and inn
proved property. If there was an honest
intent to beautify the Nations Capital the
Government would erect public buildings
and otherwise improve its own real estate,
compelling the property owners Of Wash
ingtOn to pay for their own improvements
The Government, or those running the
machine, has no honest intention in this
direction as can be seen from this table of
rents paid out annually by the different de-
partments to the property owners of Wash
iugton
state Department. ........ ......,........ l6oo
Treasury Department. ................... r2sq4
war Deparmeh '.s..'..' ...... 1900
Navy Depaum m-nt.................... Z 700