Evening star., 1922-02-28
D. C. FISCAL CHANGE
FOUGHT BY FOCHT
CONTINUED from First Page.) }

the gentlemen who so constantly in
weigh against the city of Washing
ton and the District as though this
was a District that belonged 10 u
few proftteering shopkeepers, former
grabbers. will cease. for that is not
the way to look at the District of
Columbia. 1t is the center and seat
OF government of the whole United
States.
Government Property.
Il walk these streets feeling that 1
own as much Of this town as any man
that lives In it, and l hope I am as
proud Of 1t as they are. But this is
the pofnt-men are overlooking the
fact that the property belonging to
the United States government is
worth more in acreage and govern
ment buildings than all the private
property. while the government prop
erty is as much in need Of FIRE and
police protection as any other. Hence
it Is up to the government either to
help pay it's share or admit that 1t Is
incapable of doing so.
Just briefly in regard to this water
question. In the first place this il the
unique city In the world. There il
none like 1t anywhere. so far as the
government of the District Is con-
we would Wichita. Louisville. Harris
burg. Boston, Philadelphia New York
or any place else. We made this
District of Columbia-at least in one
ought to control 1t, and we ought
to have patience about it. So far as
the water proposition is concerned.
of course. we pay much more for our
water at home for the reason that
the water companies at home have
been capitalized with private capital
and built by private capital and so
conducted.
'The District of Columbia put in
these waterworks and in return gets
far as the government is concerned,
for nothing, and we pay the lowest
rates possibly in the United States.
In our own states at home, IL the
utilities commissions should give the
water companies more than they
they are guilty of favoritism? The
statement was made here by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. NANNY.
who cleaned up the question most
beautifully, that Is the best evidence
in the world that the affairs Of the
instance-are better conducted than
they are back home. II you can get
water here for 1920 and have to pay
something like $50 at home, as I do.
1--WE should fellow the example Of
Boston and New York and prepare
twenty years ahead. We should re-
move every habitation from the
watershed and prepare to have this
city grow three hundred or five hum
dred thousand more in population, and
we should do it now"
Renews Water supply Plea.
Again, toward the close Of the ses-
sion. Mr.. Focht renewed his plea for
early action on the legislation to
give the National Capital an adequate
and safe water supply. saying:
II would like to refer to a question
noon which pertains particularly to
the District Of Columbia and. might
add. to all who come to the capital,
and that is the question Of an ade-
quate water supply. l cannot COM
rrehend what can actuate any citizen
Of tie District or any member Of the Sem
ate or House in opposing the early
and seriously, with a.
view of promptly making provision
Tor q numDer OF years aneaQ, as well
as for immediate water consumption.
a! may speak from the standpoint
of hygiene. and We take il for grant
ed that every man in this civilized
time has daily use for a bathtub.
When we look back over the wide
sweep Of History and find that Pliny
speaks Of pistons and cylinders for
pumping water and also we read Of
Roman baths, and even down in Mex
leo the first thing they were dis
covered to have were conduits run
ming up to the mountains for their
own water supply. Strange. Is 1t
not, that the last thing we thought
of in our civilization was to have an
adequate water supply in our homes?
Now, when we have this great
luxury I cannot understand why
there is ANY one so far behind the
times. SO unfair to his own body. in
side and out, as to oppose an ade-
quate water supply. 1t marks the
high point Of civilization and is only
following the divine word of the
Master to keep clean. while common
prudence should warn US to be ready
for conflagrations."