The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-06-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.

is shifted for the time from Washington
to Chicago, the National Capital has APP
piled herself to introspection and has
found out that she has just about as poor
"a government as the cities that vote and
elect their own rulers Washington city
is about all of the District of Columbia,
unique geographical division where there
is no suffrage nor has been for years about
thity). During President Grants sd-
ministration, there was District Gov
ernor and legislature and a member of
Congress elected by the people, and the
District was territory; but we could not
stand it. The negroes, composing third
of the population and led by demagogues
Black and white, made condition SINH
lar to the reconstruction period in the
South Cougfess had to do something
for the relief of Washington, SO it adopt
ed the District. and has ever since at
tempted to legislate for it. But first Con-
gress made law that the President
should appoint three commissioners; Que
republican, one democrat, and an Army
officer from the Engineer Corps. to be
the executive body. The President was
also to appoint thejudiciary and Congress
was to be the legislative body for this
Capital of the greatest nation. The
scheme has worked pretty we'll until with !.
in the last five or six years. We have
suffered in the legislative branch from
the fact that Congress is dissolving
entity and that the member from Idaho
and Texas, or even from Maryland and
Virginia, is thinking more about his own
home and district and caring very little
about the District of Columbia. More
over, if we have representative, from
Tennessee for example, as we now have,
very able aud intelligent one in the
person ofthe Hon. Sims, who understands
the needs of the people of the District of
Columbia and champions them with great
earnestness, he will probably not be re-
turned to Congress next session, or he
may hurt himself with his constituents
in the very fact that he gives portion OF
his time and ability to the interests of the
National Capital, while they conceive it
to be his duty to get appropriations for
building post Offices in his own district or
for opening Mud Greek to navigation.
Still, no resident or property owner in
Washington wants popular suffrage. We
are happily rid ofthat condition and, hope
to be as long as we have the largest
African population of any city. of the
world except Timbuctoo. We, however,
think that Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. McKin-
ley might have appointed more CON-
petent triumvirate of Commissioners than
the two journalists and one army officer
who have for more than eight years mis-
managed the affairs of the District of
Columbia. One of these journalists con-
ceives himself to be great orator and is
always on hand when there is speech
to be made, that is, whenever delegation
comes to Washington, and they are
arriving on nearly every train. He
welcomes them to the hospitality of the
city. which usually means dear hotels or
dairy lunches paid for by themselves
But Washington is too narrow field for
his oratory and he is frequently absent
fromth city on the Chautauqua circuit
or even in Canada, dilating upon the
beauties of the ideal municipal govern
ment that he considers Washington to
have.
Last week an incomplete eight story
apartment house collapsed, killing two
and disabling large number ofworkmeu.
This accident, of course, indicated lack
of supervision in the Engineer Depart
ment of the government and the District
Commissioners, as the head of the gov
eminent, are justly held responsible. 1t
was not the only evidence of incom-
petence or neglect or of graft or cor
ruption in the government, but it was the
straw that broke the back of popular
patience. Investigations show that the
building was one of the fimsiest kind and
that if it had been completed aud &C.
cupled, there would doubtless nave been
a shocking loss of life later on, with
women and children among the victims.
OF course there is chorus of denials and
counteraccusation of culpabi]ity. The
owner, the architect, the builder, the
foundation maker. the steel purveyor and
the brick layer are all saying 81 didn't
do it," and the loudest den ials of re
sponsibility are coming from the District
officers who are charged with strict super.
vision of all structures. The accident is
merely elimination taken by the public
as further evidence that the Government
of the District is in need of thorough
overhauling. Rottenness has eaten deep.
There have been manly complaints of
failure to enforce ordinances necessary
10 the safety of life, health and property