The Washington times., 1913-12-09
CHANCE TO GET A LOT MORE.

Messrs Johnson and Prouty, experts in municip pal
bookkeeping and mares nests have convinced the
House that generation ago Washington got away
with million or more of Government money and
never paid it back. The case has features which
entitle it to entry in the honor class
At all times in this generation Congress has had
complete control of the towns fiscal affairs The
town couldn't have got the money without consent
of Congress- and it is conceded it had that consent.
1t couldn't have paid it back without the consent
and mandate of Congress, and it is conceded that
no such mandate ever issued.
1t never occurred to ANYBODY that there was
anything to pay back until Chairman Johnson dis
covered it. So the House has passed bill to have
the money paid back to take ii out of the rght-hand
pocket of the Treasury, where all District cash IS
kept, and put it in the eft--hand pocket.
1t occurs to us that while Messrs. Johnson and
Prouty are looking for moldy mysteries of the pub
lie accounts of Washington they have missed much
bigger and more promising scandal than this. Do
these Sherlockian gentlemen know-Hist! Whisper
under the breath that the people of Washing
ton have from the foundation of this town been using
the streets without paying rent?
The streets here, as matter of legal fact, belong
to the United States of America not to the District
of Columbia, or the City of Washington, or any
thing Of the sort.
That is a tremendously important fact which
Messrs. Johnson and Prouty should look into. Think
of it, There are hundreds of miles of wide, hand
some streets, on which the depraved and vicious
minded people of Washington, today and far adown
the dim vistas of the past, have been walking and
using and never paying cent of rent! 1t is un-
thinkable!
Other towns mostly own their streets, unless they
kindly give them to the street car companies and taxi
cab concerns But Washington is the one notable ex-
ception Here the title to the street real estate
sides in the United States.
Does that have no signifcanceo Is it not plain
that the fathers of the Constitution and the District
meant something when they fixed it that way? Did
they not intend that Washngtons grating and debt
lodging popuace should be compelled to pay for the
use of those streets?
1t should bring blush to the cheeks of MessTs
Johnson and Prouty that they have overlooked 50
raw a scandal as this. Forthwith they should
bring in bill to make Washington pay for this tres
pass The fact that George Washington himself, and
Tom Jefferson, and the Adamses, and some genera
tons of other old chaps participated in the graft and
are now passed away should make no difference;
their successors should be soaked for the account
1t is staggering to humanity TO contemplate the
Oil that has Deen run up DV ullS llluIal pTOCeQure
We have not had time to work out an accurate COM
putation but any graft hunter who knows how TO use
self binder for ali adding machine could easily figure
that the total would pay off the national debt.
That is not all. When the arrearages on account
of this respass have been squared the United States
will still own the streets Either the town of Wash
ington should be compelled to buy them at current
square-foot prices else they should be closed
against traffic. Perhaps it would be good plan 10
place toll-gate at every crossing and make folks
pay toll for the stroll down the Avenue street
At any it is not to be presumed that with these
expert graft grubbers on the job the town will be al
lowed longer to get away with this thing.