Evening star., 1922-03-12

inquiry INTO DlStflcC aHdlTS my
years ago some of the
The Canal citizens protested the
adoption of a compre-
A'oiooAec' hensivc plan of public
improvements and declared against
the abating of the Washington canal
nuisance. The Star of March s. 1872,
thus ridiculed the attitude of these
obstructors of progress:
"One by one the treasures of an
tiquity are slipping from our posses
sion under the new order Of things.
The fragrant pigs have been Danish
ed from the streets by the odious
District government Its sloughs OF
COW pastures. covering the vacant
lots of the recent past, are replaced
by rows of modern buildings. Well
paved streets supplant the hog wal
lows and dirt heaps of the fossilifcr-
Gus period to which we are invited
to return. The moss-covered sheds
of the old market. with their barn .
yard surroundings, where are thc! }
Gone, too, are the ruts and cohblof
stones of Pennsylvania avenue. Conc
the n-Gummed-s Iutte9S
Inch by inch the croakers have ff'a
to give way and the canal is thcif
last ditch. Shall they be blamed Tor
making a stand in behalf or FnlS
familiar joy? Certainly not, but. un-
fortunately, a considerable portion
of the oderiferous slough has peeh
filled up irretrievably. Yet seftoi
may be saved for the delectati9n oi
the antiques. Let 1t be rooted a.
d health and pleasure resort Io{ ,,ras u
good men who devote their ilNeS
nobly to the work of getting uH me-
MORALS to keep things az they arc;
Let the relic be kept pungent an"
potent AS long as sewers run an"
cats die and fish decay and eggs oui
buttons to this preserved sectaon OF
the old slough be ample to or"
consolation to the doleful mi hstlS
who have hung their harps bn a
canal Willows.
Somewhat along the same line {
comment, pointing to the grea
amount of " York I
The Districts be done to m AXE III
city what IL shoul
dilemma. be as the Nationa
Capital, is the following edi orial il
The Star of March 9. 1872:
"Our District has a pret ky rougl
time Of it If we do nothir g in tn
way of improvement and ar conten
to remain in the mud and d ust wait
ing for Congress to help u y out o
the slough we are berated in tina
body and by the country. j 7 we pu
our shoulders to the wheelH and un,
dertake to make the city what il
Should be 1T seems to be aIwaS.
within the power of any lalf-dozei
of the genius hummer, dis Happointeo
office seekers or contract hu1hters. th'
drones and marplots in ot tur social
hive, to get the ear of somye member
of Congress and induce himS to intro
duce some measure bringing all
progress here to a Stank kdstill. In
most cases. we suppose. nHemberS in
troduce these bills with tout giving
them any consideration. sin nply as the
shortest way OF getting u ID or them
and of the persons who Hring them,
But the mischief done is a pl the same.
The impression is createtv that Con-
gress is going TO interfere and do
this, or undo that. and Hs a consc-
quence everything is unsfttled, work
is suspended and the spirit of inn
provement is crippled amp discouraG-
ed No community can make progress
with such a Damocles {sword hang
! ing constantly over tfSeir heads, "a.
this standing threat OF congressional /
Interference at the ins1Stance OF any
miserable deadbeat who fancies HI
has a grievance against the Dlstrirt
government.
IF Congress will take off our hands
the work of paving and improving
the city and of making the National
Capital what it should be. all right:
our citizens will cheerfully relinQuish
the costly and laborious task: hut in
the name of justice and right We
ask IL we are expected to do ii our
selves, by our own energies and pay
for il out of our own money, that
members shall not give ear to every
mischief maker who runs to them
with his tale.