The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-01-31


Citizens Cannot Vote, Have No Mayor,
and Cannot Control Their Officials.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE. 5s7,s
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31.-This is a
city of dreadful mourning. 1t reaches
into every home-from the White House
to the dwellings of the lowly. Everyone |
is erfef-stricken. The government is |
virtually naralyzcd. Officials and the
people generally tackled their work to-
day with heavy hearts.
Investigations galore will follow the |
disaster at the Knickcrbocker moving |
picture theatre but out of the emotional
expressions of a city of nearly half n
million persons there crystallizes one
view, one thought which may be the les |
son of the disaster. 1t is criticism of
the form of government of the District
Of Columbia, the parsmOny of a con-
gress which is after all the board of
aldermen or common council of this city.
For Washington residents cannot vote.
They have no mayor of their own chooS-
ing. They have. no voice in what shall
be done with the taxes they pay. They
have scant means of pcrsuading or reach
ing Il congress of 531 individuals whose
main object is Ia satisfy the peoples of
other constituencies who after all have
| their own municipal government, their
own basic services.
| If the people Of Washington want bet
tier police protection if the firemen need
more pay. the district commissioners who
are appointed by the President of the
limited States must camp on the doorstep
| Of congress and plead for attention. The
| bureau of building inspection, the fire,
tPelIpe and STRENGTHENING departments
are efficient or inefficient according as
congress appropriates funds for their
| employees and management. ...
| No Money 10 Clean Streets.
| Is congress OF s.ich varied iiallc-up
and of such diversified interests a good
| body In which TO entrust the affairs OF
! a city, Would a city government re-
| sponsible to the people directly dare to
! leave Washington without a single penny
ITO clean the streets after Il SnOwStOrm2
| As much Of the paralysis of this city
| is due Ia the snOwstorm as any other
/ factor. The street car companies have
Ipows to clean the tracks but nothing
| that will clean the broad avenues. too.
| consequently automobiles close thet
tracks and get stalled and traffic is tied
Iup while a few hundred workmcn hard
y scratch the Snrfatr-, of u Snow.cdvercd
| city.
Noted People Attend Theatre.
| THE Knickerhockcr theatre disaster is
all the more horrible 10 the people who
| survive because the fate that bcfell the
scores Cntombed in the crash might have
overwhelmed anybOdy-the theatre was
one of the most popular in the city.
| Presidents of the United States attend
/ IL. tliHlOmgrS mpmhpFS pf qouurpSS
and navy officers, officials generally and
| their families, all have been there since
the peculiar cdifee was erected. Nat
urally this is an hour of rcSentfulneSs
when the individual OutburSts are many
! but the criticism Is all the more pro-
nounced because the people in the ma
| tiOnal capitol have been pointing 10 the
plight of their civic affairs with even
/ more insiStence in the last two or three
years than ever before. The people do
/ not even have representatives in COM
gress. The theory back of this has al
ways been that the interests of the gov
eminent were so manifold that the fed
cral government should run the national
capitol. Much of the wisdom of this isl
| admitted but it is 4 fact that the federal
government Is so top-heavy with its own
responsibilities that it. could we'll afford
Ito permit the population of this city ut
least qualified voice in their own at
/ fairs
Building Problem SepiOnS i
The building problem is ever so much
more serious than il. was. Dozens of
| buildings were erected during the war.
! The government tsel6 has scores of tenn
| portlr9 structUreSS Sgterc thousands of
employees work, dairy Ii was the com
Emen- boast of hniiaer< how fast they
could put up some of these box build
/ ings. And this city has grown since the
war. The responsibilities of city officials
/ have multiplied, vet congress only last
! week pared the district appropriations
I and left the municipal governments on n
ShOestring basis for the coming year If
n street has to he extended congress
must pass Il law to that effect IF pn-
| hccman'S pay must be increased the
congress must approve it. If traffic is |
! to be regulated. congress must approve |
| the regulations or grant the authority |
| for the making of them. 4 busy CON |
gress is supposed to manage the District |
| of Columbia's detailed affairs and run |
the federal affairs of the nation besides. |
| The District of Columbia has long suf- |
fered and has long complained The |
Knickcrbockcr disaster may teach n les |
son. The saving of other lives is in-l
volved in efficient municipal govern
ment God moves in strange ways his /
wonders to perform. - .. a--S ~
r.s ia