The Washington times., 1917-10-01
Thanks to President Wilson
Rr DAVID LAWRENCE.
People Of the District Of Columbia Are Grateful For His Wise ChOe
of COmnissIOner-hs Opportunity Before Mr. Gardiner

President Wilson has earned the thanks of this
munty for the and crcumspecon with which he has
handled the selection of Commissioner In W. Gwynn
Gardiner Mr. Wilson has chosen who meets in every
respect the qualifications which time and again have been
urged in this column that Commissioner should have He
lis longtime resident of the District he is lawyer Of
ability he knows Washington business and residential life
Intimately, he has taken active interest in its citizen
sociaons and its community center activities He is
of high character and splendid record.
And the people deserving of such choice for at
no time in the history of the city has it been necessary
to bring intelligence and wisdom into the administration Of
municipal affairs than the present The District of Colum
ba has not the advantage of gubernatora machinery
State legislature but with busy Congress- must depend
in the operation Of wars laws the Commissioners who
become virtually the food controllers the governors and
the mayors of this municipality
The Washington Times has from the start advocated
ones candidacy has pointed out only the types of
which it would like to see selected The opposition to Ben
Prince first voiced in these columns wise inspired
any indifference to the fine record he has made in the
office Of collector of taxes but based effort to mp
important precept in democratic government Mr.. Prince
urged by his friends in the District building because
they felt he capable and broadvsoned but he really
had not lived Washington long enough to be preferred to
the many fine citizens who have to speak, grown up with
the city and best equipped to act as pokesmen for
To be sure The Times would have been able to express
its qualification in ungrudging if the Commissioner
just selected had in way been ndorsed by the people,
ndu Deen VOCeu upon at OF
But the machinery for such process not at hand The
filling of the vacancy could not be too long delayed And
while the best argument for reenanchsng the people Of
Washington the aesed fact that Presidents in the past
have not been and Presidents In the future may not be-
Jealous in their desire to protect the interests of the people
of Washington President Wilson, this does not deac
the least from the credit that is due Mr. Wilson from
grateful people for his splendid choice Mr. Wilson's heart
is with the common Even in what other cities may
consider unmporant appointment he has not failed to
consider the aspirations of the District community Some
day. when the complex questions involved in reenranchis
ing the District Of Columbia have been worked out in
plan that recognizes the equities of the Federal Gov
eminent and the surrounding community is to be hoped
that he will lend his influence the support of home rule
bill that viii make Of Washington the civic entity it
should be!
Mr.. Gardiner has remarkable opportunity. He has
been chosen after careful search by Mr. Wilson among
number of fine There important tasks to be done
Mr. Gardiner enters office with popular support and every
body's good wishes-thanks to President Wilson.