Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-29
|FAV0R|T|SM ENDED,
|SAYD. C. DEMOCRATS
Development of Capital Held
Credit to Administration,
at Wilson Day Meeting.
ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING

The Democratic administration has
abolished favoritism in the District
building and in the police department
and has brought about uniform devel-
opment in the National Capital,
Charles W. Darr. president Of the Will
son and Marshall Democratic Associa-
who attended the mass meeting at Con-
vention Hall last night, in celebration
of Wilson day."
The achievements of President Will
son and the democratic Congress were
lauded by Hugh Gordon Miller of New
York, formerly leading bull moose"
but now working for Mr.. Wilson's re-
election, and by Assistant Attorney Cen
eral Thompson. 1t remained for Mr..
Darr to deal particularly with benefits
derived by the District of Columbia under
the democratic administration.
1t was an enthusiastic audience that
gathered to hear the democratic spe X
ers: Loud applause greeted every
and every mention of the "eight- hour
law" and when "he kept US oui of
war" fell from the lips of the speakers
pandemonfum broke loose.
Organizations Send Delegations.
All of the democratic organizations of
the city were represented at the meet
ing, which W: S held under the auspices
Of the Wilson and Marshall Democratic
Association of the District. The Will
SON Eight-Hour League was present in
force. The Woman's Wilson Union.
the National Democratic Women of
America and the w lson clubs in
Georgetown and George WASH: gton
Universities were represented by rye
delegations. From Ma, 81 ind and Vir-
ginia came other delegation of demo-
Gratis, On the p atform were seated
many Of the leadi g democrats Of the
I1strict and prominent government Of
ficials.
Just before Mr.. Miller began his
speech, Miss Democracy" riding the
democratic donkey. rode into the hall
leading a real honest to goodness ele-
phant. on whose back was inscribed
&c. Q. P.' Miss Democracy, who had
shoulders as broad as piano movers, rode
around the entire hall. preceded by a
sign bearing the legend, Taking the G.
o. p into Camp" amid loud cheers
"A signal feature of the democratic
administration of the District" sa d
Mr.. Darr. has been the more equitf e
distribution of public and civic i'm
provements, SO that advantages o c,
too much confined to a ce. tain tion
Of the city have now been spread all
over the District.
The fine residential sections have
not been neglected. northwest Wash
ington has not sun but at the
same time. improvements have gone
on in -other sections of the city at a
rate never before dreamed of. The
suburb Of Anacostia has been actually
made over by the advent of smooth
paving. the underground wiring sys-
tenn. the modern electric lighting sys-
tenn and other improvements that have
actually transformed the whole char
acter of the community"
Points to improvements.
Mr.. Darr pointed to the installation
of new lights on Pennsylvania avenue
southeast. the paving of 7th street
with asphalt instead of granite blocks,
the improvements in Anacostia and the
new schoolhouse at Park View and
the civic celebrations in honor of these
improvements.
mo administration has ever done so
much for the public school system as
has the present administration" said
Mr.. Darr. He spoke of the new Central
High School building, the new Dunbar
School.
"The District Commissioners in this
administration" he continued, have
taken counsel with the people of the
District to a degree never before
known.
THE most signal accomplishment of
the present administration, perhaps,
although it may not be generally ap-
preciated because such reforms are
worked out without the aid of a herald
5S ho1 Of 70
itism in the District building and in
the police department"
Increase in Appropriations.
The appropriations made by Con-
gress for the District, Mr.. Darr said,
have averaged more than a million
dollars year greater than during the
preceding four years of republican
rule Taxation, he said, has kept pace
only with the increase in values. The
last appropriation law enacted by Con-
gress for the District. he said carried
over $4,000 900 more than any repub
lican Congress ever annropriated.
There has been complaint concerning
the adoption of the Borland amend
ment," id Mr.. Darr. assessing half
of the cost of paving roadways up to
forty feet IN Wlutn against Ine aDuttlnS
property owners. / have no quarrel
with those who object to this law and
who believe that it is better ia principle
that all payments for roadway pave
ment be made out of the general tax
fund However. it is manifestly unfair
to accuse Congress of having done
something to the District in this re-
spect that would not be tolerated by
people in communities where there is
self-government. The facts are that
there Is but one important city in the
United States where some part of the
roadway paving is not assessed against
the abutting property owners. and in
the majority of cities the whole cost
of such improvements is assessed di-
rectly against the abutting property
owners. The enactment of the Rorland
law was not a partisan me.s sure, but
was put through by both democrats
and republicans. And. however much
we may regret it, it cannot be denied
that it conforms to the general practice
in other American cities.
Intangible Personally Tax.
"The same thing is true of the in
tangible personally tax imposed by the
last Congress. but not yet in effect.
The initiative in the intangible tax