Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-29
Numerous Buildings Erected.

I'm addition to these extraordinary prof.
ects. exected simultaneously to meet
the pressing needs OF the District, on
advances secured from the United States
Treasury on the Districts half. on which
the District owes less than $4,000
numerous buildings for schools. fire and
police departments. charities and other
institutions were constructed out of cur
rent revenues which also, although in
adequate because Of the too rapid pay
ment of the floating debt, served to de-
velop the municipal services in the diree-
ton of twentieth century standards.
The insurance department was estab-
lished and charities and schools health,
fire. police and electrical departments
ideas. and modern business methods in
stalled. Manual Training School and
Business High School buildings and munic-
ipal Fairgrounds were for the first time
of the Commissioners for provision for
plans for the Improvement of Rock Creek
valley and a title investigation, neees-
sarily condition precedent to the i'm
reports were made leading up to appropri-
alton for these improvements. In like
manner provision was made for farm
workhouse and reformatory treatment
the Home for the Aged and the begin
ming OF the removal Of the INDECENT sick
from the workhouse tract.
Equally important are the. intangible
results of the legislation. For example,
in 1900 there was no compulsory educa-
ton law, no child labor law, no juvenile
court and probation law, no law for the
condemnation of insanitary buildings or
widening of alleys into minor streets, no
law for the regulation OF employment
agencies, no effective law for the regu-
lation of the sale OF pO.sons and the
pharmacy business. no law for the ex-
animation and registration OF nurses, no
law for the examination Of veterinary
surgeons, no law for the regulation of
savings banks or building associations.
no law for the removal OF nuisances from
the property of nonresident owners, no
law for the registration of tuberculosis
cases or the free examination of sputum,
no effective law against race track gamb-
ling. In that decade laws for all these
purposes We're enacted and have been
effectively enforced.
Got Good Treatment.
I'm all this. Senator. you treated the
Commissioners and citizens as friends
and equals, not as beggars or interiors
You treated the District of Columbia as
the municipal corporation which the
United States Supreme Court has de-
clared 1t to be in repeated unanimous de-
cisions, and not as a bureau Of the ma
tfOnal government. You remembered that
the Constitution makes Congress, and not
the executive branch Of the national gov
eminent. supreme over the federal Dis
trict, and that Congress has created as
Its executive agent the District govern
ment to represent both the nation and
the people of the National Capital. You
realized that the people of the National
Capital are equal partners with the peo-
pie Of the rest OF the United States in the
common capital. which all alike honor as
the national city and want to see made
In all respects the most perfect capital
on earth.
You realized that the comparatively
few people here paid one-half the main
tenance. while all the rest of their fell
low-citizens paid the other half. You ex-
pected the Commissioners as the agents
Of Congress and representatives of the
people not to make the annual appropria-
ton bill, but to lay before you estimates
and recommsn dations covering the whole
field Of the Districts welfare, that would
enable Congress to make the appropria-
tons and legislation required.
You knew that the Commissioners
could not make a real budget because
they do not have the power of appropria-
ton. which must be exercised by Con-
gress. and which Congress will always
exercise by choosing from the recon-
mendations Of tho Commissioners. You
did not want the Commissioners to try to
guess what Congress would like to do
and then make estimates for that. know
ing that ii would he equally impossible
, for the Commissioners to divine the mind
of Congress in advance or to hold Con-
gress to the guesses which they made.
Power Used to Advantage.
But more important than all was the
spirit in which you treated the District
OF Columbia. AS one of the foremost
leaders in the Senate you had great pow
unfortunately for us, since You used
! that power for the advantage of the Ma
tional Capital. But you never showed
the unconscious arrogance Of conscious