Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-07
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

In its issue of May 81, 1881, The Star
quotes as follows from the Providence
Gas Waste in At SThe Washington sh
49, r. Gas Light Co. may
the treasury take the cake. It
collected sl7,5OO last year for gas fur
nished the Treasury Department. al
though all business in the department
ceases at 4 O'Clock every afternoon and
does not begin until the next day.
Somebody must be getting rich"
Upon this The Star made the fol-
loving comment:
Whether the figures here given are
correct or not We do not know; but
they are most likely correctly given.
The probability is, too, that the gas
charged for has been consumed. Not
that it was needed, in all probability 1t
was largely wasted. But when your
average citizen gets installed in any
kind of a position in one Of the depart
ments of the Government he straight
Way conceiveS the idea that he IS the
Government itself and that nothing can
be too good or too big or 100 expensive
for his -mightiness in his new rep
resentative capacity. This is the spirit
which has largely, # not entirely,
brought about the water famine IN
W2SnlISlOIl, u NIllSiI 81 il4dSll NOhl-
plant is justly made every Summer.
This serene contempt for all cost, this
lofty ignoring of every interest not cen
tered Official position. it is that allows
Potomac water to run waste in all the
public buildings and grounds in the
city. while householders on the high
grounds are not able to get enough for
daily domestic necessities. The abuse
in the matter of wasting water is just
as great as that complained of If re-
gard to gas. The only difference is
that in one case Government has to pay
for the extravaganza of its employees.
while in the other the only sufferers,
without remedy. are the housekeepsrs,
who have to pay roundly for what they
cannot get"
Next to his ridiculous want of
strength" says The Star of June l,
Party Lost, Not ence to the case
Roscoe Conkling. of iinF R0s atSe o most
comicaI feature of Mr. Conklings pres
emit struggle for restoration is the pre-
tense that he and his few followers
represent the Republican party, and
that those who do not train with him
are boilers from it. The situation is
this: The President sent to the Senate
the nomination of man of good stand
ing in the past for a certain ONCE.
This nomination every Republican Sen
ator voted to confirm. Foreseeing that
they would do so, Mr.. Conkling in pet
concluded to resign his position and
leave his party. We say leave his party,
because the Executive and the Senate
were the only recognized and authorized
representatives of that organization hav-
ing to do with the issue involved. BY
, all the rules governing parties ever since
the beginning of politics Mr.. Conkling
therefore became the bolter. He raised
an issue with his party and left it. 1t
didn't go away and leave him. But the
| trouble with Mr.. ConKlilg has always
been that he thinks he is greater than
everybody and everything else besides.
| He has fallen into the same laughable
error that was made by the wandering
and beWildered Indian, who, on being
| told that he was lost, pompcusly ex-
| claimed: Ugh! Injin not lost. Wigwam
lost. Injin here
| X x
"Now that one of the gang Of conf
dence operators which has 50 long in
il tested Washington tc
commence the discredit Of the city
Operators. saws s;aS The he's Star Of June 4
1881, 1.-The old plea that the law does
not reach such cases will not be &C.
cepted in future. The police authori-
ties will be held to strict accountable
| ity for the arrest of the three card
monte sharps. The Virginia authorities
as has been shown, will provide fol
them after arrest. The favorite role o.
these scamps is that of guide. In al
most every case of confidence robber!
it is developed that the victim was de-
luded with the idea that he was follow
| ing a commissioned guide of the city
The object in forbiddiag all except per
sons elected and appointed for tina
purpose to act as guides was to protec
strangers from the schemes of conn
dence men. 1t is stated that the so
called guides, who have hitherto LEI
strangers across the river TO witness tn
unwilling of the Lee statue, all hav
badges, and it would be well for the po