Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-26
CONGRESSMAN MooRE'S
LETTER
The Housing Corporation Cannot Pay
Its Philadelphia Taxes-Mexicsn
Fuel Oils Threatening to Dis
place Pennsylvania Coal.
Washington Gossip

Washington, July 20.
THERE is n hitch over the United States
- Housing Corporation situation in Phila-
delphia. Congress has been asked to make
an additional approximation to meet this
and other apparent delinquencies that have
arisen. Apparently the housing corpora
tion owes the city for certain municipal i'm
provcments made as per agreement with
the officials. These improvements included
the installation of water mains sewers,
street paving, and so forth The president of
the housing corporation. Mr.. Sherman, has
suggested ms n way out Of the dilemma that
the city credit the corporation with the
payment Of the 100000 involved in lieu
of taxes. One trouble is that the appropria-
tion bills have been passed and the housing
corporation Is without the funds it. needs
in this instance.
D DOBERT W. LESLEY, who has been
~ identified with the cement industry for
many years and who enjoyed close rela
tions with the powers in the Pennsylvania
Railroad Office before the government stepped
in. knows something about foreign com
petition and the value of correcting Amerl-
can Standards Robert was not always in
the cement business. There are those who
remember his activities as n newspaper
man way back when the court combina-
ton cut big figure ms the purvcXor OF
court news to the Philadelphia papers
Probably the biggest newspaper job Hoo
Lesley ever performed was to report the
Hunter Armstrong murder trial in camden.
He worked so hard with his right arm tax
ing stcnographc notes in that case that ne
is said to have been slightly left handed
ever since.
TTIEY arc constantly making trouble In
L Congress for the foreign language news
napcr Jacob Ginsburg. who was formerly
in Philadelphia Councils. happens TO ne
temporary president of the Publishers AS
socation of the American Press in Foreign
Languages and he and Vito NJ. Baldi. OF an
Italian language newspaper, and GnStaV
MAYER. of an Amcricanizcd German Ian
guaCp paper which now has Colonel James
A. Campbell Mt the masthead. are alive TO
the situation. There are some men in Con-
gross who think foreign Language news
papers in the United States should be sup
pressed altogether. Naturally this brings
protest from the great eastern ccnters of
population which is now about half foreign.
The same question arises with regard to imr
migration bills and bills to dcport aliens.
Thus far Congress has not been able to take
up these questions and there is doubt, now
that the war is over. how far it will 90 with
regard to certain of the radical propositions
that have been submitted.
TNlIERE are n good many people who want
4 war with Mexico. Generally they are
friends Of those whose interests in Mexico
have been violated But the Central Penn
c,1, roo1 Dro6unorS' Accn
scnts a new viewpoint. carrying with it in
| dorScmcnt Of the report of the national coal
associations fuel oil committee. which is
that Mexican fuel oils without tariff duty
are now threatening to dsplaCc coal products
| in the United States. General Secretary
O'Ncil. of this associations is advising
| members of Congress that unless pro-
tcctve tariff is put on Mexican fuel oils.
| concerning which most of our troubles with
| Mexico arise, the anthracite coal production
| Of Pennsylvania will be prpjudiccd. and that
| this may ultimately affect the wages paid
| the miners
| OLIVER MCKNIGHT knows a good deal
" about the grain business. but the one
! big idea which makes of him Il veritabe
| ''prO bono publico' is the single tax. Since
| the departure of Henry George. the founder
| of this theory. few men have kept hammer
| ing away Mt it 50 aggressively as has Mr..
| Mcknight. He keeps Congress informed on
| the subject, but unfortunately for him there
| is now avowcd single tuxcr here. the
nearest approach to one having been Crosscr
of Ohio. who went out with the last session
| Mr. Mcknight complains that public men do
| not grasp the Importance of the single tax.
| If We could convince ourselves now that n
single tax on land values would do the bust
| ness of the country and relieve us of thc
burdcnsomc system of taxation which has
come over state and nation as an incident of
war. Mr. Mcknight might find some en-
| thuSiaSuc supporters at the Capitol. But
| !"c J"O ol r"adJuStment on single tax lines
Is apparently 100 big for statesmen to tackle.
| DURING the debate on the prohibition on.
- forcemont bill DIR. Hobart A. Hare nro-
! t"SS"r IN tn" jefferson Medical College wos
| frequently quoted. Along with other we'll :
| known physicians. the doctor had eivrn bis
expert omnlon that beer containing NOT IN
exceed 2.75 per cent of alcohol by ,voiob+ ia
not Intoxicating.
| IIoI SING conditions IN washington ara
not what they should be. Tn tho fret
h"'" ,h"r" are NOT enough houses to no.
c"mm"nat" th" peopl" who have como here
| '" WORK f"r the government. Nobody bene
htS by TINS condition save the real estate
aGentS' the landlords and the renters who
! subct. Efforts to check these conditions bv
| legislation have not been successfr1 ,,or
and women who have come to Obtain c,n :
ployment in the government service do NOT
as rule. obtain separate houses to live in
Many of them, perhaps most of them. he
come tenants in large and small dwellings
occupying separate floors or rooms, In
weather like this, murky, hot and sticky
as it has been at the capital. it is almost
cruelty for those who work and expect to
live here to bring children. There is no
doubt that many clever employees in the de-
partmentS rent houses for good round fig
ures, probably twice as much as normal
and parcel them out to those who are will.
| ing to lenYe their hnnny hnmna nlnO,.L -.