Evening star., 1907-08-02
ARE READY FOR BUSINESS
FRIENDS OF PUBLIC WELLS FORM
AN ORGANIZATION.
Commissioners and the. Local Press
Severely Criticised-Plans for
Redress of Grievances

The District of Columbia Protective As
sociation was organized at Pythian Temple,
1912 9th street, last night. after nearly tw"
hours of speech making. in which the Dis
trict Commissioners were "ronndly de-
nounCed' and their removal demanded: the
health officer was attacked and declared in
competent alleged horrors Of the Potomac
water supply We're unveiled with FRANK
! ness and the idle rich We're in some way
held to blame for the closing of The wells,
especially the shallow ones-for it was re-
ally about the wells that the meeting was
concerned although the association, when
finally formed, declared TO be the cham
pion of all wrongs and the defender of
dwellers in the District. who have hitherto
had no redress from the vicious tyranny
OF the autocTatic Commissioners.
There was but small crowd on hand IN
the hail at $50 o'clock. for which hour the
meeting had been called by circular III
trans pired later that the meeting had been
called to meet at that time so that those
| who were an hour late would be on time.
as there was no intention of calling the
meeting to order until $50 o'clock.
At so pm. J. Fraise Richard, as tenn
| porary chairman, called time, having held
| over from a previous meeting. and Chase
| Royce. temporary secretary. read the
| minutes of that meeting, stopping III the
| middle when gust OF debate swept the
| hail. but remembering to finish the reading
jus, before the meeting adjourned
The Speechmaking.
Speeches wholly unrela led to the subject
| OF the meeting followed thick and fast, the
patience of the audience finally becoming
! exhausted at a description of a trolley ride
on L street, with which was entansied a
! Tillmanesaue denunciation of negroes. Then
| the previous question. not yet in existence,
! was moved. and closure rule was almost
| adopted, when a committee of three-Chase
| Royce. A. b. Webb and B. NJ. Mundell-
| retired to one side of the hail and ca me
! back in a minute or two with the constitu-
| ton and bylaws of the proposed organize
| ton. Consideration of these documents was
! Immediately put over until the next meet
| ing. disconcertinS council which had gath
! cred about the chairman.
| Mr.. J. Fraise Richard was elected presi-
| dent of the body. and debate was resumed.
| the secretary. Chase Royce denounc!ng the
! newSpa pers as suDSerVient to the Commits
| sioners for fear of losing their jobs" The
| curse was taken off later by j. B. McCar-
| tey. former newspaper man, who instruct
| ed the meeting about the city's journals
| and defended the commissioners. Later
\. S. Trundle moved a vote of thanks to
| the press.
! Just then number of the sixty persons
! present began TO file out. and the chairman
| huTriedly called for a collection to defray
| expenses A sum amounting to about four
dollars was dropped INTO the hats that were
! passed, but the cost OF the nights gather
| ing amounted to ten dollars, and there was
| q deficit declared
| The organization was finally effected, the
! constitution being recalled from limbo to
! which it had been cons gned earlier in the
| evening. j. Fraise Richard was again
| elected president; Chase Royce, secretary;
| NJ. r. Davis. vice president; j. w. Corey,
| treasurer. under protest urged by himself;
| a. b. Webb. legal adviser. and f. +.
| Mitchell bis assistant. An executive commit
tee of five Is to be 2DDOlnted DV the chair
man.
One curious provision of the constitution
! : worth quoting as an innovation in house
rules: The quorum shall consist of ma
/ iori;y of those in attendance.
Well and Potomac River Contrasted.
! on the ia BILE in front of the chairman
were two glass fruit jars. one containing
water from the 9th stree, well recently
closed. This water. Chairman Richard said
! was filtered by the Lord and then passed
/ through coarse towel to remove the flies
and mosquitoes" The other receptacle was
filled with water from the city mains. Ch air
| man Richard declared that the well water
would be preferred by everybody. 1t bore
the ! ibel Official Vandalism, which was
| a delicate reference to the Commissioners
who certainly got theirs last night.
| Nothing definite was accomplished except
to effect the organization and Increase
the deficit but the plan seems to be to
have counsel apply to the courts for man
damus to compel the Commissioners to re-
open the wells or drive new ones. The sense
of the meeting appeared to be that the shall
| lower the well the better.
| An explanation of the Commissioners ac-
ton was vouchsafed by Chase Royce. the
| secretary. who gave as his authority "an
| intelligent colored man. name withheld
| According to the statement quoted, COM
| bination has been formed by the saloon
men, ice men and soda fountain men, who
made up a fund by which chemists were
brlbed to find the we'll water impure Dr.
Charles Allen suggested that President
Roosevelt be asked to remove the Commits
sioners. and this suggestion met with favor
but before the meeting adjourned much OF
the rhetoric directed against the Comm s.
sioners was expunged from the minutes
| The meeting adjourned at twenty minutes
past 10 o clock