Evening star., 1922-02-12
Fifty Years Ago
in The Star

As result OF the endeavors Of those
who opposed the public improvement
program Of the new
Boomeranr (. territorial government
en.s Of the District nifty
Aoi S1itice' years ago congress
sional investigation into the affairs OF
the National Capital was undertaken.
In The Star OF February 8. 1872. is the
following expression on the subjecti
1.-THE District government undoubted-
ly has reason to be grateful to the knot
Of anti-fmprovement mischiefmakers for
the opportunity Of repelling their accu-
sation before congressional committee.
These charges OF fraud. peculation and
extravaganza have been made by these
men in various forms, but never before
in the shape to be met fully and squares
ly by evidence. Tho courts, and the
people at the last election, to be sure.
have branded their authors as falsif1ers,
but their failure to establish before the
District committee a single point of
their sweeping charges is SO ignominious
that they stand conspicuously and ut
terly disgraced.
"A1ready they abandon the charges OF
corruption and fraud and only allege
extravaganza and a scheme OF improves
J ment on scale ruinous to taxpayers.
And yet these persons who assume to
represent the taxpayers are not tax
PAYERS themselves. They have never
spent a dollar for the improvement OF
the city and the amount OF their In.
f1uence with the property holders maF
be gagged by the fact that with the
most persistent drumming they -..'"
been able to collect less than $25 toward
paying The expenses OF their investiga-
tion.'
"They are mainly a set of f1oatin..
adventurers in quest of offices and
contracts, having no identity what-
ever with the city or its interests
Their views of what is extravaganza
or what is economy are based alto
gether upon the fact whether they
are in or out When they were M
they thought it quite the economical
thing to spend hundreds of thousands
of dollars in such jobs as Severson >
wor Sc -than-useless canal causeW>aE
at 18th street, or in jobs of dirt eXca-
walton with prices raised for their
benefit from IS cents to sS.15 per
yard. But. worthless and irresponsi-
BILE as they are. they have managed to
load the taxpayers of the District
with Indebtedness to large amount
by litigation, causing the suspension
and delay of improvements until late
essary to call for special vote OF
the people at heavy expense
But the taxpayers and citizens
now have more special reason TO
curse these malcontents for the mis-
chief they may do in defeating or de-
LAYING District appropriations by Con-
gress 1t will be due to these MS
chief makers il our schools fail ~
get the grant of public lands proper
! ~ their right, as SO ably urged bT
our representative in Congress 1T
will be due TO malign work of these
men if we fail to get appropriations
for the Improvement of our harhor:
to meet the governments share for
improvements in the District; for a
new jail; for the resumption of work
at the arsenal and navy yard. and for
other objects calculated to give en-
F; ployment to our mechanics and labor
ers and to cause the disbursement OF
! a large amount of money here sUffi-
| cient to quicken every brancn OF
business and industry. II these ap-
i preparations are defeated, We repeat,
F; it will be solely due to these pestilent
mischief makers and marplots. who.
| by their falsehoods and r1isrepresen-
| tations. have furnished the material
! to members Of Congress inirical to
hate the District-to make opposition
TO the passage of every bill for the
expenditure OF public money here.
"On the whole. our precious set of
malcontents are likely to prove a dear
boon"