Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-27
INDIGNANT CITIZEN BUSY
DISTRICT BUILDING FLOODED
WITH ANONYMOUS LETTERS.
All Sorts Of Unsigned Complaints
Finding Their Way Into the Of
fetal Waste Basket.

The anonymous letter writer is delugins
the District building with all sorts OF in
formation and misinformation on every
subject which has the slightest bearing or
the municipality. The former board had
its share and more OF the contributions
of this class of writer's. For time the
new board was spared. Recently. how
ever. the man who signs himself "A Citi-
ZEN or Let Justice BE Done" is shaking
off his winter somnolence and has dipped
bis pen in gall and has fired his mind
with the visions OF injustice.
Sarcasm and bitterness has it's full
swing in many Of the letters which the
Commissioners private secretaries receive
daily. dirty vacant lot is often pro-
ducdve of an anonymous complaint which
might be taken as a threat TO upset the
whole police and street cleaning outfit, ii
the subject were not mentioned. A hand
full of papers blowing into a mans front
yard Will frequently bring TRADE that
sounds like the red rawlings of a nihilist.
All Sorts of Complaints.
A leaky downspout brings a letter full
of tears. and the signer will be filed under
the card which indicates thousands of
others in the same family, all signing
Indignant Property Holder" A hole
in the street will make much money for
the Post Office Department by the sale
Of postage stamps for anonymous COM
munications. A policeman who fails to
do his duty however small that duty
may be, will be the subject of essays by
the Score-and all who write of the sub
ject will choose names like "A Citizen of
this d. c." or One Who Knows What
Ought to Be Did"
A man who had inside knowledge of a
subject almost as important as the price
of toothpicks endeavored to blast the
reputation of one of the Districts en-
ployes by writing few lines on a postal
card, in which such terms as brain
key-faceds baby" were employed.
Oftentimes the private secretaries get
to work to ferret out the anonymous
source Of certain communications. Once
in long while letter containing Sc
rious charges is received and an in
vestigation starts In. Occasionally it
is found that an aggrieved employe
writes scandalous dOings about his CHIEF.
Once a policeman's wife showed off her
husband in a rather lurid light, and
signed herself wise Guy
Now and then a man who believes
he is underpaid writes a long letter
with a headline something like this
High Pay for Loafers. Low Pay for
Workers" The letters invariably carry
strain of indignant protest against
some man or class of men who are
earning good money while the aggrieved
and anonymous party is allowed to
struggle along for little or nothing.
Food for Waste Basket.
Commissioner Rudolph told news
paper man not long ago that he wished
he could choke off the anonymous letter
writer's. They get no attention in 80
cases out of 100. The waste basket
gets most of them. Ralph Pratt, sec
rotary to Commissioner Johnson. keeps
a carefully guarded file full of anonymous
letters for mere curiosity's sake. 1t Is
sort Of Office freak museum. Out
Of the thousands that have passed
through his hands 1t is safe to say
that only those anonymous letters which
made definite and specific complaints
against an insanitary condition some
where have been given attention.
This class OF anonymous letter writer
chooses to remain unknown because he
dislikes to stir up trouble in his neigh
borhood. He will write Of some bad
condition, and he believes that ii he
signs his name the person complained
Of will find 1t out. AS a matter OF
fact such complaints are carefully
guarded in the District building. Peo-
pie who make complaints with their
names signed are shielded from pub
Lefty by the District building people.
on duty at the District building are
concerned, it is not likely that they
will sit down to write a story to the
effect that Mrs. John Tendernose has
complained because the sewer in her
street needs fixing.