Evening star., 1922-02-03
Press-Baiting in Congress
AS a Popular Indoors Sport

1t is a pity that Representative Ben
Johnson cannot take the wise, Just
and liberal position which he has as
sumed In respect to increase of water
supply and necessary protection OF the
water-supply system by construction
Of new additional conduit, without
seolding and slurring the Washington
newspapers, which have been working
in the public interest to the same end
He throws the great weight OF his
influence In favor of the building of
an additional parallel conduit. In order
to meet the unexpected but possible
emergency of a serious mishap to the
single fifty-nine-year-o conduit.
upon which the District now relies.
But he says: 1.-THE local press mas
placed the demand for 'an additional
local supply solely and entirely upon
the theory that the water system mao
reached its limit Of supply. FOR
a year or two now the local press, and
particularly one paper, would make
the people believe that they were
standing on the very verge OF q water
famine. No such thing is threatened.
and no such thing Will threaten, In.
less, as l say. it Is the unexpected that
happens. and asainat that certainly
provision should be made"
The important thing. so Tar as
the District Is concerned. rs that
Mr.. johnson. whatever bis n res,
sons. is with those who nave oeen
fighting with all their might to re-
lieve the capital community from
the possible disaster threatened by
reliance upon the single afty-nine-
year conduit through which 1T re-
ceives it's water supply. He Is
heartily welcome to the ranks or
those who plan to secure new ad-
ditional conduit, and the single con-
elusive reason which he assigns for
this advocacy Is that upon which the
Army engineers and The Star also
primarily rely.
Next, he scolds the local press. be-
cause, on the strength Of the reports
of Army engineers that the old Aque-
duct bridge was unsafe and might
give way in the season of floods and
Ice jams, it frightened Congress into
building a fine new million-dollar
bridge alongside the old. The new
bridge nears completion, ana yet the
| tottering old Aqueduct bridge has
not in fact fallen down.
The Star is proud Of the part II mas
pldyeO uFSlHS t2C A]'Se. 20,
islature to adopt the wise, broad ana
far seeing policy in respect TO 70
tomac bridges which has resulted IN
the substitution of the highway
bridge and the new Railroad bridge
for the old fiood-threatsning and
! disaster-menacing Long bridge oan'
and in the substitution or an ade-
auate and attractive modern struc-
| ture for the ugly and dangerous
AuuedNct bridge. And The Star ap-
peals with all it's might to Congress
! to round out it's Intelligent and be-
! neflcent bridge legislation py cons'fuso e.
| tion Of a memorial bridge from the
| Lincoln Memorial to Arlington.
=. x y X
OF course, those who pointed out the
public menace from the condition OF
the old Aqueduct bridge, who secured
precautions in respect to it's use' and
safeguarding repairs. and finally the
substitution for it of a new, safe and
creditably attractive bridge, do not
need. in order to be vindicated as
public benefactors in this connec-
spite of their warnings. shall be per
! mitted actually to fall down, with
possible loss Of life.
And the "alarmists" who call the
attention of the community and Con-
gress to menaceS of this sort should
not be silenced, but should be encour-
aged in the public interest. For ex-
ample, consider the Calvert Street
bridge, which is viewed by many who
use it, or have officially inspected
1t. as unsafe. These "alarmists"
have endeavored to cause Congress
to share their apprehensions to the
end that a safe structure may he
substituted for a bridge of dubious
not want vindication as prophets of
there before Congress can be per-
suaded to act. They want their leg
islature so to legislate that new
bridge shall be built there and that
meanwhile the old structure shall be
SO tenderly handled that it shall still
be standing when the new. safe
bridge comes into use. Congress did
well to respond to the warnings Of
the alarmists concerning the old
Aqueduct bridge. And it will wisely
heed the similar warnings concern
ing the Calvert Street bridge.
X X y i
The next offense of the newspapers
is that they clamored for a hall of
archives to protect valuable govern
mont records from theft and fire un-
til Congress bought site for such a
building, and then ceased their clamor;
whereupon Congress. no longer spurrcd
to wise legislative action. and avowed-