Imperial Valley press., 1913-07-07
CONGRESSMAN TAvENNER's
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON
by Congressman Clyde II. Tavennerl ]

10y congressman ~y00 w. ssso"'os
WASHINGTON, June Some time
ago in a news article | made the as.
sertion that the city of Washington i:
the worst governed city in the United
States, not because there is graft OF
nefIiciency in the administration Of the
city's affairs. but because the govern
ment. which is prescribed readymade
by congress and in which the people
of Washington have no voice, is COM
pletely out of touch with the needs OF
the people it serves.
President Woodrow Wilson. in nam
ing the new board Of commissioners
for the District OF Columbia, has evil
dently recognized this fact. Unable
to change the reactionary and un-
American form Of WashingtOn's muni-
cipal government. he has done the
next best thing. He has appointed a
commissioners the most progressive
men he could find.
Had the president searched The
whole country over, he could not have
selected two men better fitted for the
l.. Siddons. the men he named for the
two vacancies on the board of com
missioners.
The choice of these men, of course
is not pleasing to the politicians OF
Washington. who for years haye
worked in perfect agreement with The
ring of bankers and real estate opera
tors who have The city by the throat
Neither Of TIE men named can he
calle4 politician in. The widest stretch
of the term.
Newman's career is romance of
the newspaper world. He is still 4
young man. only 50. Yet into his
career has been crowded more stirring
incidents than j. usually met with in
IA lifetime. His experience has been
gained in many parts of The country
His work has chiefly concerned itself
i'll municipal. state and national GOV
ernment. When he was selected by
the president he was the Washington
representative of the Newspaper En-
ierprise Association. an adjunct of The
Scrlpps newspapers and lmdouhtedIy
The most progressive news gatherip :
service in the world.
About two years ago there ap-
peared in the Saturday Evening Post
an anonymous narrative called ''Thr
Fortunes of the sun" This series of
articles was an amazing expose of the
thrOtIlin" hold of public service cor
middle western municipality. 1t is ra-
vealing no secret now to state that tn.
experiences related in that story wera
actual ones, and that the author WAS
Oliver p. Newman Although the name
OF the city was disguised in the story
the experiences related We're those IN
connection with the unsuccessful al
tempt to operate a ScrippS newspaper
in ST. Joseph, Mo-. without regard 10
the feelings Of advertisers and he
public service corporations.
Anyone who read and ponderrI
over that story cannot fail now to be
liete that the government of Washing
ton. under NeWman'S direction. will be
progressive in the extreme. As much.
toc can be said Of SiddonS. VINO was
the attorney who defended Samuel
Gompers and the other American Fed
Grafton of Labor officers in the con-
tempt cases. Siddons is q believer III
the single tax. and is a leading mem
ber Of the Monday Evening CLUB. 5
local organization which has fought
the real estate and banking ring which
has controlled Washington affairs for
50 long.
No other public service corporations
in the country are as inSolently indif-
ferent of the people as those in Wash
ington. and none stand in such need
of rebuke and discipline Architect :
nralIy, Washington is the most beau
tiful city on the continent. It is
President Wilson's ambition to give
the city a government to correspond
to its visible beauties. municipal
government which can be model for
ether American cities to follow. He
has made great start in selecting
Newman and Siddons as the head ot