Evening star., 1914-12-22
URGES new VOICE
BEFORE CONGRESS
Commissioner Newman De-
cIares District Must En,ighten
Legislators as to Conditions.
ONLY VOICE OF BLAME AND
OF PRIVILEGE NOW HEARD
Other Heads of Municipal Govern
ment Also Tell Monday Evening
Club of Work for People.

Declaring that Congress hears hut
two voices in the District OF Columbia
the voice of condemnation and Of the
seeker of special privilege-Commts-
sioner Oliver Z. Newman. in an address
last night before the Monday Evening
Club at the Y. NJ. {. A. building, urged
the organization OF a new voice to
plead the interests of all the people OF
WASHINGTON.
Such an organization as the Monday
Evening Club, the District official sus-
gested. should go to the front for
Washington and endeavor to enliShten
Congress as to the real conditions OBJ
tanning here Until the new voice has
made itself heard on the needs OF the
capital. Congress- present attitude to-
ward the District can be expected to
change but little. he predicted,
Tell of Commissioners Work.
Commissioner Newman and his col
leagues on the board. Commissioners
Siddons and Kutz. told a large audience
OF Monday Evening Club members last
night what the present board of Com
missioners is trying to do for Washing
ton. At the conclusion OF their address,
several members interrogated the
local government heads as to what
steps should be taken TO promote Ger
tain civic reforms in which the club Is
interested
A question by Walter S. Tfford of the
Associated Charities as to how the
club should proceed to inform Con-
gress of the need of new municipal
lodging house led to the statement 10y
Commissioner Newman concerning the
need of a new voice for presenting the
Districts claims. Congress hears a lot
from the fellow who is looking for
special favors, and is accustomed to
shouting condemnation. but. broadly
speaking, Congress never hears the
voice of the Monday Evening club, he
said. The Commissioner suggested the
organization of a committee of citizens
for the purpose of urging upon Con
gress an appropriation Tor ne"
municipal lodging house.
Proposed improvements.
During the informal discussion in
which questions were asked by Mrs
Ernest p. Bicknell and others. the
Commissioners told OF the status OF
alley Improvement work and the
propaganda for universal transfers on
local street railway lines. Cominis-
sioner Siddons expressed the hope that
the bill to extend the area upon which
L
nection with condemnation of alleys
for conversion into minor streets would
receive the approval OF Congress he
expressed the opinion that the Com
missioners. with such law. would
soon be able to remedy the objection
able features of the alley situation.
Engineer Commissioner kutZ answer
ed the query concerning universal
transfers stating that this proposal in
wolves a rate question which cannot be
taken up until after the public utilities
commission has completed Valuation
of the properties of the street railway
companies.
Labor for Peoples Interests.
Introduced as the first speaker, Com
missioner Newman, who returned only
yesterday from ten-day trip of in
spection of southern penal institutions.
told of how the present board of Com
missioners has endeavored to promote
the interests of the people of the Dis
trict He referred to the work OF the
corporation counseIs once In the loan
shark cases and of the office of super
intendent of weights. measures and
markets in endeavoriEg to instruct
housewives in the economy of market
ing, as instances of the desire OF the
administration to make the local gov
ernment an instrumentality by which
the people serve themselves. Comnis-
sioner Newman was of the opinion that
Congress would provide funds at this
session for starting work on the pro
posed municipal hospital and reforma-
tory institutions long urged py the
Monday Evening Club.
Commissioner Siddons described con-
ditions in Washington when he came
here to make his home in 1873, ana
outlined briefly the great material de-
velopment the city has undergone. fou
cannot make a city beautiful until you
are working to make beautiful the
.fsal .3.Akr.
ment is slowly but surely being realized
in Washington, he stated
New Market Is Possible.
That there is strong Likelihood OF
Congress making provision at this ses-
sion for the proposed new municipal
was the prediction of Conmis-
sioner Siddons. The speaker also
spoke in glowing terms of the work
of the police department in entorclnS
the Kenyon red light law, and declared
that the insurance department is doing
valuable work of a social service char
acter.
Commissioner Kutz. who had occu-
pied a seat in the rear of the hall dur
ing the meeting, was asked by MIS-
Archibald Hopkins chairman for the
evening, to come to the platform ana
tell the members something or the
work of the engineer department The
new Engineer Commissioner gave de-
scription of the survey now being
made to determine the advisability of
establishing municipal "aste-ols-
posal system in the District. He de-
clared that this reform if carried into
effect might lead to a saving OF S50,o0U
annually to the District government.
Committee Chairmanships.
Committee Craftsmanship assignments
for the year were announced at the
meeting as follows: The loan shark
and remedial loan legislation. William
n. Baldwin; the church and social
service, Rev. Jay T. Stocking; Il modern
hospital, John Joy Edison; a
modern municipal lodging house, Miss
Alice e. SoIomons; a national training
school for white girls, Mrs. Adolph
Kahn. the Juvenile Court, William ii.
BALDWIN; provision for the care of
Fee George S. Wilson; super
vision of dependent and neglected chill
lrep. Mrs. Walter S. Ufford: provision
'or the treatment of inebriates and
irug victims, Dr. d. Percy Hickling:
he indeterminate sentence, w. VI.
Whitaker; committee on housing, q.
L. Weber; an effective system of health
of school children, DIR. W.
). Small: school nurses, Miss Isobel
strong; school. physicians, DR.. George
l. Heitmuller; school sanitation,
Dr.. Edward Hiram Reede; vocational
guidance, Miss Elizabeth V. Brown: in
iustrial schools, John Chamberlain: home
schools Miss Emma Jacobs; atypical
,chools Prof w b. Patterson one n-air