Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-01-08
.Liquor Traffic Sees the
Beginning Of the End
In a Dry . Washington

from a sanitary point of view, While
it's morality will. probably exceed that
of most large cities. These two things
are due to what? The plan devised by
Lot NJ. Morrill, for the district govern
ment.
Washington is absolutely under gov
ornamental or congressional control
This prevents any local pohtelan
manipulating the various departments
Practically every street and avenue
in the city is washed each day, many
of them twice daily. Street cleaners
are at work all day. If the good people
of Augusta could find Water street as
clean every day in the year as are
those of Washington are they would
rub their eyes in astoniShment, and
Water street is generally regarded as
being a very clean and well kept thor
oughfare. Washington has fine parks,
many Of them wide, We'll lighted
streets excellent sewers, "A cracking
good fire department, good police de-
partment, ample water supply and, the
tax rate is Is mills. That is from four
to 20 mills lower than the rate paid in
Maine cities. This, too, is on d two
thirds valuation only. 1t doesn't cost
much to live in Washington so far as
taxes are concerned. This low rate
is due to the large tax which the feder-
al government pays-abCut half the
total cost of running the district. This
condition is due entirely to the fact
that Congress is in charge of affairs
To have referred the prohibition bill
TO the people of this district would
have been a long step toward relin-
gushing by Congress of this control
Had it been granted it would have
been a precedent hard to overcome.
Immediately a bill for any purpose,
establishing a prison, rebuilding a por-
ton of the water plant, construction OF
street or anything came up in Con-
gress those opposed would start a cry
for referendum. There could he no
logical ground. then, for refusing. If
Congress granted a referendum on a
law prohibiting the sale of liquor could
1t consistently refuse, afterward. TO
submit to the people the question of
whether money should be expended fo~
public improvement? 1t could not.
That and that only is the true answer
to why the referendum was killed.
The people of Washington are. as a
whole, well satisfied with their present
they are getting more for their money
under this arrangement than they ever
could under any other. They are not
exceedingly anxious to upset the ar
rangement.
AT meeting the other night a mem
Der of the board of commissions,
which constitutes the governing BODY
or the district, made the statement that
IN every instance that an important
change of policy or improvement was
contemplated the commissioners sent
thousands of letters to people of the
district asking their opinions as 10 the
adVisability of the thing He then said
that of the thousands of such Iat.ar.
sent out they had received but ore re
ply.
He must have spoken the truth, for
ms statement has not been denied This
Is q very good answer to the talk Of
now the Senate has ignored the p,ih
hc's request for right to express it.
self. 1t shows the people Of the dis
trlct to be fairly willing under .Il cor
dlt1ons TO take their chances SO far 9s
management of local municipal afflfrs
goes, with Congress.