Evening star., 1915-01-10
DISTRICT CITIZENS I
TO VOTE ON PLAN.
FOR TAX INQUIRY
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page)
people of Washington, had laid out the
plan for the capitals development and
that it would be unjust, if not cruel, to
saddle upon the local taxpayers the
entire cost of maintain ng the National
1 Capital, which is a pride to the natio1.
Sena tor MARITIME was appiauded frequent
ly, and at the conclusion OF his re-
marks was given rising vote OF
| thanks.
Mr.. Newman's defense of his appoint
ment as Commissioner and the fight he
| is waging in the courts to retain the
once was of more personal nature
than any public utteranee which has h
come from him since he has been at the
head of the District government. The
first part of his address was devoted
exclusively to this subject. The second
part was given over to an explanation
of the policy of the present District
admi inistra ton. He discussed separate
ly the three principal objects of the
administration. which are. first, to
bring about q specialization in the
broadest sense of the instrumentalities
| and functions of the local government; :;
| second. to esta blish useful regulation
| of public service corporations with the
hope that ultimately these concerns
will pass from private to public owner
| ship, and, third, to reorganiZe and re-
| form the taxation methods of the Dis
| trict.
he SPEAKS Frankly.
'T have made up my mind to talk
very frankly with You gentlemen this
| cvening-to open wide the doors of my
| mind and show YOU just what is there
| said Commissioner Newman, in Begin
! ming his address.
| "In the first place. ! know whenever
| ] face an audience there are two par
ticular subjects in which my auditors
ry,tn tod IL
first desire to have an expression from
me- and. second. upon which they eX-
pect me to say something. The first
| subject is peculiarly personal to me
and has to do with the fact that this
particular individual known as Oliver
p. Newman is Commissioner of the
District of Columbia. i can feel the
curiosity which my presence at such
meeting as this always arouses AL
| though / don't claim to be gifted with
psychic powers. / think l can almost
read in the minds of those sitting in
front of me something like this: so
that's Newman, is it? l am glad to
| have a chance to see him. So he's the
| fellow that all this controversy is
about. I'll just size him up and see what
think of him; think you will all realize
| that it is somewhat embarrassing to
feel always as If you were an object
mind it, because I know it is natural
| result of the publicity which has fol-
lowed me since I was appointed Com
| missioner. 1t is perfectly understand
| there has been so much discussion
| should be an object of curiosity, but
, I am really not curious person at all.
am simply a serious minded individ-
| ual who is trying his best to do hard
| job of work as well as he can.
Gave Facts to Wilson.
ST am ooiop to racpo,5 @o ,-r,,,r 10
sire to know what have to say about
| myself by telling you frankly just how
1 feel on that subject. First, believe
that I do in fact meet the statutory
requirements for Commissioner of the
pointed I investigated the law as to
the qualifications of a Commissioner,
and l called to the attention OF the
President the fact that there might
be some question as to whether / was
qualified. 1 would not have permitted
him to appoint me without the fullest
knowledge on that subject. 1 gave him
| a copy of the law, and 1 gave him a
complete statement of the facts as to
| just where l had been all of the time
| during the three years prior to my ap-
| pointment, and 1 want to say that the
statement which he had before him
contained exactly the same facts that 1
| later presented to the Senate commit
tee, and still later to the courts. Mr..
| Wilson himself is a lawyer, and he
personally considered both the law
and the facts before he sent my nomi-
nation to the Senate. In other words,
| he exercised the executive authority of
| nominating me for Commissioner only
after a careful, thorough and complete
consideration.
LAS you are all aware. the Senate
| did not act in a perfunctory manner
upon my nomination. but, like the
President, made a careful and thor
ough and complete investigation upon
| it's own account. The committee on
the District of Columbia, to which the
nomination was referred, gave hear
| ing to those who wished to object to
-my confirmation. and they called me
before the committee, and l stated to
them the same facts that 1 had given
! the President. The Senate then pro-
ceeded to exercise it's executive func-
tion of confirming my nomination, and
! thereby making my appointment COM
plete only after investigation.
Considers It Settled.
| Il sincerely believe that these acts
of the President and the Senate settled
the question of my eligibility. Be
| lieying that as firmly as / do, / think
YOU will understand why l have resist
ed, and shall continue to resist in every
lproper manner, the effort to have me
F; removed from Office. My reason, how
ever is not founded alone on my per
sonal conviction, but to very great
leXteut upon my respect for the opinion
and action of the President and the
Senate and my duty to them. Were L
to fail to resist with every proper in
strumentality the suit to oust me !
would show disrespect and disloyalty
to the President and the Senate, both
| of whom are superior authorities to a
| Commissioner of the District of Co
lumbia.
That is my case, and I don't mind
announcing here and now that you
will find me standing squarely upon
it to the end of the chapter.
| Brief reference was made by Com
missioner Newman to the half-and-
half principle of the organic act. He
said:
The second subject upon which for
the last year an expression has been
ieXpected and desired whenever a Com
missioner gets on his feet in front of
an audience is the 'half-and half
feel as if l will have to refrain from
idiscussing that question, however, be-
cause of the very decided character of
my opinion. You probably don't real
iZe how often and how painfully the
Commissioners of the District Of Co
lumbia are ground. between the upper
and neither millstones, and l do not
need to remind you that the millstones
are grinding this particular subject
at this particular time, and I don't
feel like voluntarily and unnecessarily
lcrowdiu~ mySelf in between them