Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-07

| and resources of the District except by
| partial and spasmodic appropriations.
| To quote from a minority report submit
| ted to the Senate in 1877: AT the end OF
| six years only of a government irrespousi-
| BILE to the people the public debt amounts
| to $25, 600, 000-more than one-fourth of the
ava Se ths has 81
sessed as special taxes on the property OF
| the citizens, ten millions on the same as
| general taxes. and Congress had approprf-
| ated six million dollars. Deducting the
original Indebtedness, we find the enormous
| sum of fifty million dollars as the net ex-
penditure of six years of government by
| firmed by the Senate. OF this vast sum.
not less than forty millions are chargeable
to improvements. ,s-
A Memorial to Congress.
] In October. 1871 the writer. then presi-
dent of the board of sinking fund commits
sioners, realizing the desperate condition In
which the finances of the District were
placed and the necessity Of obtaining relief
from Congress by a definite assumption by
that body of its obligations toward the
debt of this community. prepared the fol-
lowing petition, or memorial, to be submit
ted to Congress:
ITO the Honorable Senate and House of
Representatives:
The undersigned citizens and taxpayers
of the District Of Columbia. respectfully rep
| resent that they are under the exclusive
Jurisdiction of your honorable bodies. and
have at this time no representative therein;
| they, therefore, avail themselves of the
right of petition, and beg your favorable
consideration of the following request:
the faith Of the government was by act
| of Congress of June "a, 1874 pledged to pro-
portional appropriations toward the ex-
penses of the District. Such proportion has
not yet been determined or appropriations
made, although three committees of Con-
reDOrted SuD1ect-On0
| that the proportion should fairly be fixed at
| 80 per cent; second committee reported In
| favor OF the governments paying the entire
expense of the District. and reimbursipg
| itself to the extent of a moderate tax on
the property of the citizens thereof; the last
committee reported a bill involving the pay
ment by the general government of 40 per
cent of the expenses. In view of the fact
| that the streets and avenues are the prop
| erty Of the United States fsee decision of
| the Supreme Court in the case Of Van
NeSs) of the exemption from taxation of
all government property, of the large ex-
pense entailed upon our taxpayers in pro-
viding public school accommodations for
the children of non-residents and non-tax-
payers and of the exhaustion we are now
laboring under from our efforts to improve
and beautify the national capital. we VEN
| ture to ask that the governments proper
ton OF the expense be fixed at so per cent.
ana necessary legislation provided there
| for.
Potomac Rivers Needs.
THE condition Of the Potomac river. ne
humbiy represent now requires Immediate
attention, both for the preservation of com.
| merce and the health of the resident popu-
| lation, in which view the question becomes
| national one. depending thereupon the
health Of officers of the United States and
representatives of foreign governments sta.
toned here. The well-established policy Of
the government has been to preserve the
navigation of all important rivers and to
remove therefrom such deposits and accre-
tions as were detrimental to the public
health. The Potomac river, one Of the
largest and most important In the country,
has been overlooked until its condition has
become alike dangerous to health and
threatening to navigation. We therefore
venture to ask that appropria tio1 be
made at an early date for the improvement
of the river.
1.-The rule adopted by the government Of
distributing federal patronage through the
several states has resulted in bringing to
this city large numbers of persons. male
and female. for employment I'm the different
departments. The frequent changes there
In and recent reductions of force have left
a large number Of these persons in our city
without means Of support upon the charity
Of this community. which at This time il
scarcely, II at ALL able to take care Of its
resident poor. We beg to urge this as a
strong reason for liberal appropriations IN
behalf Of our charitable institutions.
"In conclusion. your petitioners would
refer to their record in the pas. as a law
abiding and taxpaying community. and ex-
press an earnest desire to cooperate with
the representatives of the general govern
ment In making this the worthy capital Of
q great nation = 5s.l.- 5s.,L,.,l ,A.LI-,
Active Steps Taken. -
This memorial was first submitted to the
inspection of Governor Dennison, the presi-
dent Of the board of District Commission
ers, and, meeting his cordial approval, was
communicated to Messrs Crosby 8. Noyes
John A. Baker. Robert c. Fox, NJ w.
Beveridge. w. G. Metzerott and John T.
Given. With their cooperation q meeting
| was held at the Office of Fitch. Fox
Brown, when the subject Of the formation
of a committee of 100 was debated and de-
cided upon. A meeting followed at the
residence of Mr.. Lewis ]. Davis when the
outline of the public meeting to be called
was agreed upon and the invitation to said
meeting. was framed and sent out, dated
October 8, 1877. The proceedings at that
meeting are found In the following account,
the first quotation being an editorial in The
Evening Star of October 20. 1877:
Everybody admits the urgent necessity
for united action by our citizens to secure
from Congress legislation imperatively
needed in behalf of our District but the
trouble Is that what Is everybody's busi-
ness Is nobody's business good many
in fact, are disposed to despair of getting
anything like combined, energetic action in
view of the general listlessness displayed,
and the disposition. on the other hand. by
some to raise a mad-dog cry of interested
motives against any citizens Of public
spirit enough to attempt to rescue the COM
munity from the slough of despond. I'm
PEELED, however. by the urgent nature Of
the emergency, quite number of our citi-
Gems interested in the prosperity of the
District have entered upon the thankless
task indicated. After consultation they
appointed committee with instructions
to send out the following invitation ad-
dressed to a considerable number Of prom
inent citizens Of the District. who. 1t was
thought. would be willing to give active
cooperation for the object in view:
WASHINGTON. D. c., October 8, 1877.
"'Dear Sir: You are respectfully invited
to unite with certain other fellow-citizens
with a view to the formation OF q commit
tee Of 100 to endeayor to procure from Con-
gress such legislation as will secure the
objects set forth in a memorial now before
the public for signatures, of which a copy
Is herewith submitted.
please signify your acceptance on re-
ceipt Of this Respectfully yours.
Committee-Lewis ]. Davis. r. o. Fox,
Joseph Casey. 8. v. Niles, John A. Baker,
John r. Mitchell William M Gait JOseDh