Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-04-26
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Washington was greatly interested IN
the enactment of the river and harDor
appropriation bill by
Potomac River Congress fifty years
Appropriations. ago because OF the
state of the work OF
retaining the Potomac flats. The Star
of April 81, 1886, says:
THE river and harbor bill is before
the House. whose members are working
at il section by section and voting away
the peoples money to help each other
carry doubtful districts in the Autumn
elections. There are the Narragaugus
River in Maine, and East Chester Creek
in New York. and Shrewsbury River IN
New Jersey and Corsica Greek IN Mary
land and scores Of other rivers and creeks
of like importance-or unlmportance-
drawing their ten thousand dollars apiece
from the Treasury; and the inland water
way from Chincoteague Bay in Virginia
to Indian River Bay in Delaware, scoop
ing its thirty thousand; and french
Broad River in Tennessee, which, &C
cording to the official records, had
commerce in 1881 of $1,000 bushels OF
grain and whose channel is obstructed
largely by mill dams and fish traps, It's
six thousand; and the HlawasSee River
in the same State, twenty-five hunoreo
dollars for continuing the work OF dredg-
ing a channel two feet deep so that the
one steamboat which is recorded as ply
ing its waters may not run aground, and
Breton Bay in Maryland taking sixty
five hundred dollars so as to enable the
1900 inhabitants of LeonardtoWn TO get
their goods in and out by boat, ana
Oconee River in Georgia, nine thousand
dollars for the benefit of the handful OF
people of the post village OF Dublin.
These are but few of the demands upon
the Nations treasure chest which would
be ludicrous if they were not so out
rageously impudent. Their only excuse
is the necessity of Congressman to BUY
votes with Government money. and tnelr
only hope Of passage the average states-
mans willingness to log-roll.
"And yet the District OF Columbia,
because it has no voice in Congress and
no votes outside, sees its choked cnan-
mel in the Potomac River omitted from
the distribution. Is not the commerce
of the Potomac at least as important as
the commerce of the Narragaugus or
the Oconee? And does it count for MOTH
ing that the earth dredged from the bot
tom of the river goes to fill up the
noisome and fever breeding marshland
on the borders of the one city in which
every American taxpayer shares an
ownership"
"The property owners in both the
squares designated in the new library
BILL" says The Star OF
Site for the April o. 1886, "have all
Library. been formally served with
notice to submit the low
est prices they are willing to take for
their lots and improvements not later
than Nav 4. Until the prices demanded
are all received the Commission CANNOT
make any further progress. 1t Is very
evident that there is decided prefer
ence for the squares north OF East Capl-
toll street and the property owners tnere
seem to appreciate the fact. Since the
passage of the library bill some OF the
lot owners within the squares have begun
to saw that they do not care to sell any
how and to enlarge upon the trouble o!
moving. etc. In one case party nao
included in the plat OF his GROUNDS
portion of a public alley which ne hao
been permitted to use for years IN oroer
to make the rear of his premises easily
accessible. In view of the manifest ais
position to get high prices Tor property
in the north square the Commission re-
CARDS It as highly probable tnat they
will purchase the south square.