The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-12
Teaching Washington a Lesson.

Dissection before the Congressional commit.
tee which is investigating the fiscal affairs of the
District of Columbia of the methods employed in
George committee on assessment and taxation of
real estate in the District should convey lesson
to the people of Washington Ever since this re-
port submitted to Congress in August, 1912,
it has been accepted as gospel or used as text
book by every orator, politician agitator who
has felt himself called upon for one reason or
another, or for no reason at all, to condemn some
thing somebody connected with the District of
Columbia OF its government. Even persons who
do not make profession of hostility to the Capt.
tai and it's people have been disposed to give ere
dence to the George committee report. their con-
hdence having been inspired, perhaps, by the large
expenditure in its preparation of the time of a
group of more or less distinguished statesmen
and the money of the people.
And now, after it has done three years service
as weapon in an unjust warfare against the Dis
tricts interests, the George committee report is
turned to ashes by the powerful searchlight of
"ptiless publicity" turned upon it for the benefit
OF an unprejudiced committee OF Senate and House
seeking nothing but the truth. Convincing proof
has beer furnished that the George committee re-
port was constructed upon false premises upon
a tissue of imaginary discoveries and himsy con-
cusions arrived at by so-calIed experts employed
at large expense and submitted as facts to eight
supposedly intelligent makers of the laws. The
revelations Of the past few days to the methods
pursued in obtaining the transformation upon
which was founded Congressional report that
has since served as evidence upon which scores of
indictments have been brought against the Dis
trct and its people simply astounding No
citizen of Washington can read the reports of the
hearings before the Joint Congressional Commit
tee at which the methods of the George commit
tees alleged experts were exposed without feeling
righteous indignation.
While it cannot be denied that a grave respon-
sibility rests upon the members of the George
committee for presenting to Congress an ndict-
ment of the District based upon false testimony,
the people of Washington are themselves to blame
for permitting this injustice to be perpetrated
without such united and vigorous protest as would
have compelled Congress to reject the report. A
few patriotic citizens did undertake to repudate
it, but their efforts were regarded as biased and
hence proved ineffective at the time. If a mass
meeting of citizens had been held and such evil
dence has been produced during the present
week forwarded to Congress the George commit
tee report could never have been used a weapon
by the Districts enemies. 1t would have been
thoroughly discredited. if not discarded.
The lesson that the people of Washington
should learn is to be more jealous in safeguarding
their own vital interests in future than they were
three years ago. They owe to the who are
now championing their before the Joint
Congressional Committee their full and united
support until the fight for justice is won.