The Washington herald., 1907-08-24
DEFEND TOWN PUMP
District Citizens Have Sar-
castle Things to Say.
ADVISE FREE USE OF LIQUOR
Call Washington "A Medieval City.
Declare Reason There is No Pare
Water Is Because of Lack of Suf-
frage-Sny PU5..c Consumes Much
Mud-Others Want No Ballot.


met at Society Temple last night. and
expressed their opinions of the action
Of the District Commissioners in abol-
ishing the drinking places in terms Of
severest condemnation.
There were many speakers, all men.
well advanced in years and rich in ex-
perieaee. The audience, though not a
large one, gave unstinted applause to the
various speakers.
The meeting had been called by ].
Frsise Richard, the president of the Dis
trict of Columbia Protective Association,
who occupied the chair. and after read
ing a number of magazine and news
paper articles relating 10 tie government
of the city, he introduced r. S. Tharin,
who at once launched into a violent con-
demnation OF the form OF government Of
the District.
Mr.. Tharin called Washington a mediae-
val city. presided over by three feudal
lords, and populated by abject subjects,
who had no say in the manner after
which they should be governed"
"Our forefathers." continued the speak
er, never intended that the taxpayers
and citizens OF Washington should be
disfranchised. They did not intend this
city to be what II is to-day.
AutOcracy, He Says.
THE reason you have no pure. drink
able water here is because you have no
say in your public affairs We are suf-
fering from an autocracy. an oligarchy
The people of this city have drank enough
mud, and viii drink enough mud. if the
pumps are not restored. TO make them
like the clay-eaters OF Georgia.
The wells are not shallow; the District
Commissioners are shallow. A man
that does not attend 10 his own think
ing is not a map. and VIII surely go
wrong and be the loser: but when you
come to think that 100000 citizens are
ruled by three individuals. then, indeed.
there IS danger Of this republic crumbling
to dust"
Urges Local Suffrage.
Mr.. Tharin prophesied decidedly un-
comfortable future for this country IN
less the rights Of franchise were granted
TO the citizens Of Washington. He con-
cluded his address in most dramatic
manner. by shouting at the top of his
voice:
Washington Is At for nothing else but
TO be swept from the face Of the earth
by an earthquake"
Women Grow Frightened.
As these portentous words were ut
tered by the speaker. a number of women
held on to their chairs and covered their
eyes as If expecting the earthquake 10
then and there.
Charles J, Magill. the next speaker. who
was introduced as "a man who has the
courage 20 say what he thinks" az a hero
and poet, stigmatized the District jail
as the flthiest institution in civiliza-
ton" Mr.. MagiT declared that those dis
charged from the jail should not be per
mitted TO mingle with the outside world.
as they were coveed with filth and dis
ease. The health officer of the District
also came IN for severe censure.
Dr. Allen II Versatile.
Dr. C. Allen spoke on every imaginable
subject concerning the city government
and the health OF the people of Washing
ton. But before Dr. Alien opened up his
flood gates OF scathing eloquence. he IN
sisted that committee be appointed TO
call on President Roosevelt and have him
remove the District Commissioners. The
speaker declared IN stentorian voice tha;
the authorities could not point to a single
case of Illness due 20 pump water. He
admitted being a temperance man, but
advised the audience not TO drink water
filtered by the 100000 filtration plant;
that it was ''stinking. dirty water"
Dr.. Allen counseled his hearers to drink
liquor whisky, beer, wine. everything
bat water.
Wants No Suffrage.
DR.. Allen said he had been a resident
Of the city when universal suffrage was
the order Of the day.
I don't want It again. No suffrage for
me. a white man could not get near the
polls. The negroes camped around the
polling places all night and somebody
furnished them with breakfast on the
morning Of the election day. and they
never budged; they had the voting places
I'll to themselves. And the result of suf-
,Tage was a debt Of s15.030,000"
After having done with the suffrage
5ubjsct, DR.. Allen again turned or the
and berated them IN most
severe terms for what he called the care
ess manner in which the bathing beach
was constructed He said the bathing
beach should be in the heart of the city.
1r near the brickyards, where the people
could reach II.
Other speakers entertained the audi
ence with similar arguments