Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-13

| Benefits from such work by this commit
| tee may be slow of realization, but if
! continued on the present line cannot fail
| of beneficial response to the ultimate well
| fare Of our people,.
/ Mr.. Harper recommended that this COM
mittee be made d standing one.
Commerce and Manufactures.
1.-The committee on commerce and man
ufactures, A. c. Moses chairman, calls at
tention to the fact of having handled
several matters of Importance to the bust
ness interests of Washington during the
past year. particularly as to readjustlnS
discrimination of freight on manufactured
goods
They also report assistance rendered
by them i'll form of thorough eX-
animation as to the plans and figures for
the establishment of a refining company
in this vicinity.
" Efforts are being made the report
continues, to bring together investors
and local business men in need of addi-
tonai funds to enlarge or develop their
plants.
Law and Legislation.
Congress has been in a position to do
| little work of a constructive charact
affecting such general legislation as would
come within the consideration of the COM
mittee on law and legislation, of which
j. Fl. Ralston is chairman. The larger
share of the work affecting the District
of Columbia receiving congressional at
tention has related to purely municipal
matters, and no general legislation of any
material consequence has passed Con-
gress touching the District of Columbia
or is now pending before it.
The most important of the matters
Congress has had reference to race-track
gambling. and the congressional action in
this respect has been in the line of the
recommendations of the chamber. Usury
bills are now pending in Congress and
will need the careful attention of the
committee shortly to be reorganiZed, in
order that nothing of an Objectionable
character may be enacted during the re-
mainder of the session.
THE board Of directors of the Chamber
of Commerce has, in my judgment, dem
onstrated sound business judgment on
| the subject Of segregating the appropfia-
ton of these two items when they recon-
mend that Congress shall distinguish. as
the Commissioners have done in their esti-
mates, between the items of extraordi-
nary projects of improvements calling for
large amounts of money and benefiting
the future, and the items of current ex-
penditureS.
Condition of the Jail.
1.-The question to how the present
| and future generations should deal with
| this question of prison reform has become
almost a national subject, and it is one
| of the most important subjects our legis-
| lators will have to deal with during the
| next few years.
1.-The Chamber Of Commerce has recog-
| nized during the past year that it must
| be given intelligent and persistent at
tention; it has been the subject of dis
| cussion at our meetings, and by resolu-
| ton is now in the hands of our commit
tee on municipal legislation, Mr.. Chaplin
Brown, chairman.
I'm my Judgment the increased atten-
ton given to the subject of adult proba-
ton throughout the states is a strong
argument of itself to command serious
| consideration by the citizens of the Ma
| tional capital. The indeterminate sem
tence for first offenders, with reformation.
and not simply punishment, as the object
| in view, will do more to stamp out the
criminal class and make respectable citi-
| zens of first offenders than it is possible
| to do by a long and positive sentence in
| Jail or penitentiary.
This system should be as promptly as
possible put into practical operation in
| the District of Columbia
1T is we'll known by all who have
| passed upon 1t that our Jail is relic of
Olden times and not creditable to this ma
| ton.
THE location of the Jail should be
changed. 1t should have sufficient
ground around it to make every inmate
work One cell for each prisoner should
| be the rule. We should not farm out our
penitentiary prisoners to other states.
South of the Avenue.
1.-The plan to convert that section of the
south side Of Pennsylvania avenue lying
between 1st and 18th streets from its
present condition to a magnificent public
park, containing public buildings, is rap
| Idly assuming practical shape. When this
| plan is carried out there will be no more
| beautiful boulevard i'll the world than
Pennsylvania avenue from the Capitol to
the Treasury. ] took occasion In my last
report to suggest that the various states
of the Union erect along this route state
buildings. to be maintained by the various
states as an exhibit for their natural
wealth, national exhibit of no small
| Importance. Since then / am glad to say
that the southern commercial congress.
which recently held It's convention in this
| city. has taken up the subject with the
result that nearly S1OOO.OOO has been con-
| trbuted for this purpose.
Il am convinced. after investigation,
that there is nothing which Is In need of
| more careful and intelligent consid Grafton
and action than the present condition or
the Anacosta river and fats This is a
subject which has been before congress
| for twenty or more years, and considered
by it of sufficient Importance 10 COM
merce and nealtn TO JUSTLY dn app Ia
ton. to start the work, of $27S 463 .O6. This
amount. though. small; was only intended
to make preliminary investigation.
1.-The present project for the improve
ment Of this river and fats was adopted
by Congress June Is. 1902, and provides
only for that part of the river between it's
mouth and the, navy yard bridge. a dis
lance of two miles; and did not take into
consideration any work between that
bridge and the boundary.
ncftv a. n g.
2ls525. Maj. (now Commissioner Spen-
Ger Cosby states in his report Of Septem-
| Der 20 last that only about IA per cent of
this entire project is completed. and the
maximum draft to the Navy Yard bridge
| is now 1871 feet.
Benefit to Navigation.
1.-THE Anacostia river is at present navi-
gable for large vessels to this bridge. for
tugs to the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge,
and for small scows to BIadensburg. Nd,
distance OF eight and three-quarter
miles To this point il where the people
of the District should center their atten-
ton for final improvements.