Evening star., 1922-04-09

The investigation by Congress into
| charges against the board OF public
works and. the
D. C. Government new District gov
Inquiry. n,n'tea[ inn ,re rsxs mss coi- ,I
| umns of The Star fifty years ago. and
| the following editorial comment on the
question appears in the issue OF April
.. 1872:
1T is pretty evident from the com
! ment on the proceedings yesterday
before the Senate committee on Dis
trict affairs that the proposition to
increase the number of elective Off
| GERS here has very few friends, either
in Congress or in the community at
large. Indeed, among those who have
real prosperity of the city at heart
there is a disposition to circum
scribe rather than enlarge in this
respect, as thinking people are be
coming convinced that most of the
difficulties under which Washington
has labored for many years past have
come directly from this source, and
that the privilege of voting where
no principles are to be established is
but a dead sea apple which presents
goodly outside show, but turns TO
ashes on the lips. The result is that
a
solution of the problem will be found
in the government of the District by
a commission. in some form or other"
Public works which had been
hanging fire through various causes
were further de-
Probe DELAYS layed by the in
Improvements. ne,,,ion signed
by a long list Of District residents
was sent to Congress urging that the
inquiry be closed as quickly as pos
sible, so that the much needed i'm
provements in streets and in city de
velopment could proceed. Following
is an editorial printed in The Star OF
April 2. 1872, relating TO the petition
and its signers:
1T will be seen elsewhere that a
memorial. largely signed by our best
known and most highly respected
citizens, and who are neither office
holders nor contractors, was pre-
sented to the House yesterday. ask
ing Congress to close the pending
investigation as soon as IL could he
done in justice to the interests in
volved, in order that the board Of
public works may proceed with the
improvements of the District. 1t will
be noticed that number of the sign
ers were among the signers to the
original memorial to Congress op-
posing the District government. The
evidence brought forward thus far.
even with the defense unheard. salts
fies them. however. that the charges
have no good ground, and that whl'"
the board of public works may have
committed unintentional errors. there
is not a suspicion of fraud or willfui
Wrongdoing in their action
A member of Congress on conf
mittee, which was investigating the
canal nuisance fifty
The Old years ago discov-
cred that the dear
bad In its editorial column The Star
of April 3. 1872. deeply deplored the
bad sense of smell which afflicted the
national legislator in the following
terms:
1T smells bad. was the remark
made by congressman YESTERDAY,
when the committee were investigat-
ing the canal. Now. this comes Of
having defective senses. This con
gressman has an unreliable nose. He
doesn't know a good thing when he
sees it-or smells il. We are pre-
pared to prove by one of our lead
ing physicians, and by any number
of experts. that the canal smell IS
most satisfactory smell-that II is
a disinfectant of bad smells. in fact.
and that its suppression would breed
a pestilence. Those who don't like
it are prejudiced. or have been sub
sidiZed.'