Evening star., 1902-01-04
THE NATIONAL CITY
wAsHINGTON-s IMPROVEMENT OF
CONCERN TO THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
A Decided and Universal Sentiment in
Favor of Making the Capital an
Ideal Community.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:

| To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Your very timely and forceful editorials
upon District affairs which have recently
appeared are not only appreciated by our
! local taxpayers, but by the people Of the
| United States, who are interested in the
| general welfare cf the District of Column
| bia and the proper development of our ma
| tienal capital city. l feel justified in MAX
| ing this statement because I have yet to
| find citizen of any of our states to evince
other than a great feeling of pride in WASH
| ington, and a desire to see it advanced so
! that public and private improvements shall
| be of such a character as to make the
| home of our government the admiration of
! the world We have an example of this in
| the costly as well as magnificent design
and the admirable compliance with every
| library.
Who has ever heard citizen of the
United States, while visiting Washington,
utter other than words of praise as to this
structure and at the same time express
the desire that all public and private build
ings should be commensurate with the dig
nifty and wealth of our country? Do they
not, also, express a deep and patriotic in
terest in the home of our government and
a desire to see it adequately developed
along national lines at national expense?
we nave neafu muCn ABOUT DuDuC SeHli-
ment on all public questions; in favor of
war and in favor of peace; in favor of eX-
pansion, or in opposition thereto; in favor
of one policy OF another. This public SEN
timent, when ascertained, has affected local
| and national legislators; it has very prop
erly influenced Congress- and the will of our
people has been to d great extent gratified
It may be confidently maintained that pub
lie sentiment is pronounced and UNIVERSAL
ly expressed on this subject of the proper
as we'll as adequate development of the
capital city, and it is not eXtravagant to
class 1t as being one of national Importance,
for to refuse to provide funds for sewers
and water mains, where sewers and water
mains have been so long needed, to enable
our people to observe sanitary rules and
regulations; to neglect the abatement of a
public nuisance which has so long endan-
sered the health, not only of our local tax
payers, but of members of Congress, the
President of the United States. and the
thousands of government employees who
are required to reside in the District, by
allowing the diSeaSe-breeding condition of
the Eastern branch to spread its malariat
influences over the entire city, as evidenced
by the health office reports. To refuse as
Congress has done, even after the ardent
and urgent requests of our people, to cause
a iudicioUs extension of streets beyond the
old city limits, so that our taxpayers can
build upon their lands, thereby enlarge and
beautify Washington, is imposing not only
hardship upon District people, but the ma
tion sustains disadvantage.
Congress alone has jurisdiction over the
District of Columbia local taxpayers are as
powerless as n subject of Great Britain to
correct this existing and unsatisfactory sit
uation. To neglect Washington, therefore,
is equivalent to neglecting an interest of
the nation.
No advocacy is hereby intended of
change in the present form of government.
although a plea is urgently made for an
exercise of such governmental functions
under the existing form of government as
will crafty the needs and necessities of
our people. not only locally, but nationally:
such functions as are so readily exercised
elsewhere-e. g.. in the little Incorporated
town of TakOma, located in Maryland, but
adjacent to the District line, north of
| Washington, will be found system of
streets ard ample water as we'll as sew
erage ia cilites. These public advantages
| have been secured by the people of Takoma
in the only practical way by which. they
can be obtained for the people of the Dis
| trict of Columbia, |. e., by an adequate
| bond issue and the judicious expenditure of
| funds by our Commissioners for these nee
| essary public purposes. {! This plan net only
| provides the money, but, it places a fair re-
| sponsibiity upon the present general zion by
| a requirement to pay interest and a con-
| tribution toward sinking fund to meet the
| payment of these bonds at maturity. 1t
| also imposes just burden upon the future
generation which will largely reap the bene-
fit from such improvements.
Half of this liability should, of course,
fall upon the United States, not only be-,
cause of the compact of 1878, but because
this being the national capital. all streets,
avenues, well as all public improve
ments, generally speaking, are very prop
erly dictated by Congress, upon large and
national scale of Importance, far exceeding
the requirements of local taxpayers.
Washington is a national city because it
is the national capital Its development
and Improvement must ever be of a ma
tional character, because it should be COM
mensurate with the needs. dignity and
wealth of the United States. All expenses
inyyn fy-a6 y-ifh rafnr TO r cho
borne by the general government and no
greater burden of taxation should fall upon
the people of this District than that which
is imposed upon the citizens of the United
States generally. To do otherwise would
not only violate the fundamental principle
of taxation which is equality but it would
result In the confiscation of private prop
erty under the guise of taxation
LOUIS P. SHOEMAKER