Evening star., 1922-06-25
Fifty Years Ago
in The Star

At the close CT the session of the
District legislature fifty years ago
The Stnr thus editorially
End of the summarized its work. in
c..: the issue Of June 22,
The annual session Of the District
legislature Just closed has been a
busy and on the whole a satisfying
one. OF course. some things have
been done which ought not to have
been done. and some measures failed
which ought not to have failed. This
has been the case in all deiiberative
assemblies from the beginning and
will be until the end. Some remarks
have been heard about waste of time
at the beginning of the session, neces-
stating hurry and hustle and pro-
longed sittings at it's close These
comments are unjust. for the reason
that the executive offices could not
furnish until near the close of the
session statistical information on
which the really necessary legislation
of the session--the tax. license and
appropriations bills-could be based
and because other important meas
ures had to be carefully considered
and matured by the committees. If
the two houses had been as indus
trious during the first fifty days as
they were the last ten there would
have been more work done, of course.
but whether 1t would have been for
the public is questionable.
Without reviewing in detail the
general legislation of the session II
may be stated that among the meas.
ures of interest and Importance to
our citizens, in addition to the imam
cial bills above referred to. which
passed, were the act to compensate
owners Of property damaged by street
improvements, the Corcoran square
market-house act. the act providing
for the arrest and punishment of pro-
fessional thieves, burglars. gamblers
pickpockets and confidence men; tn
act to cause proper distances to be
and wagons while in motion, the
act making appropriations for the
amounts required by the Commission
ers of the sinking fund to pay the
interest on and gradually redeem the
public debt. the act to fund the un-
settled liabilities of the city of Wash
ington and providing for the issuing
of bonds and levying and coilectlng
of taxes to pay the same. ana the
act for the prevention of disease In
the District of Columbia.
"It may be as well mentioned right
here that the greater portion of the
! labor of perfectinK important meas
ures of a general character and toi-
lowing them until they become laws
devolves upon a limited number oil
members. generally bare ma)orlls
in each house. While some members
attend through all the sittings TO
hem in this work and aid in defeating
Jobs, others take things easy ana
others again are active only whiie
they have some pet scheme in hano'
and when it is safely through they rec
! reate until another measure In which
they take an issue is pending. I'm
fortunately, too, these spasmodic
gentlemen, if they are In the lower
house. are just as popular with theit
constituents as the members who
hear the heat and burden of the day
Another fruitful theme in this coz
nection would be the legislative tricks
by which certain measures are defeat-
, ed and others are passed. but TO ioi-
low ii up would make thls arIics ,
too long for our columns. One illus
tration will do at this time:
"Some days since several bills pass
ed the house of delegates providing
for payment OF certain amounts
claimed as due for damages to prop
nrtE Dy street lii SsiAShh7' - "a
case. at least, the amount allowed
: was more than twice the as7"S3t.
value of the property before the al
legged damage was done. These biIis
vent to the council and yesterday.
while A member of that body, who il
vas known would oppose them, was
engaged on a conference committee
one of them was passed, and the
oth.rs would have been. probably, haa
not the member heard of the action
ON the first one and taken steps al
once to CHECK the passage of the
others. This action in these special
cases was taken, it must be remem-
bered, while the general law on pet
terments and damages was on IT'S
passage without opposition. laxpa!
era viii be glad TO know. however,
that among the bills approved by the
governor the particular bill of dam
ages above referred to does not
appear