Evening star., 1939-03-26
Fifty Years Ago
In the Stur
Dissatisfaction with certain conditions
at the District Building half q century

Dissatisfaction with certain conditions
at the District Building half a century
n:... ago was reaching climax.
~. as is noted in an editorial
e'o's in The Star of March %,
Criticized 1889 as follows:
In the course of his indignant accu-
sation that the civil Commissioners are
ingrates. who, having used him for their
dirty work, now kick him out of doors,
Ex-Assessor Fish indicates precisely the
condition of affairs at the District Build
ing, which The Star has charged The
unaccustomed taste of Official power by
small-natured and weak minded men,
with the accompanying interested fiat
terry OF sycophants. who made the public
pay dearly for every compliment, resulted
some time ago in swelling the heads of
the present civil Commissioners out of all
proportion and beyond all recognition.
They angrily resented any unfavorable
comment by the people or press of the
city upon their official conduct Vote
less Washingtonians were denied even
the right to grumble. They played the
part of petty tyrants using their official
powers to aid and injure for the personal
reward or punishment of faithful or un-
faithful subjects. AS the end of their
terms OF office approached, the swelling
and the prosecuting redoubled in energy.
Mere failure to support them for reap
pointment was a misdemeanor; active
opposition was a crime. An ex-Union
soldier c1o IN, etr rio<
Building, who ventured to favor another
candidate for Commissioner, was per-
emptorily discharged on the extraordi-
nary ground of 'disloyalty to superior
officers Personal loyalty to the Com
missloners was of more Importance than
loyalty to the Union. Some Of the most
ef1usive f1atterers among those toadying
to the Commissioners even spread abroad
the notion verbally and in print that the
fate Of the National Capital was in some
mysterious way identified with the for
tunes of these gentlemen, whose propor-
tions were by this time so enlarged that
they easily occupied the whole District.
and even began to be confused with the
outlines of the universe. During this
period the attempt was made to punish
The Star for failing to be totally over
come by their dropsical greatness. A
mass Of untruths, already thoroughly ex-
posed by The Star, was concocted In ref
erence to the papers tax assessment.
Failing in the effort to make public the
libel during the school site investigation,
a resolution OF inquiry was procured from
the Senate. drawn according to Assessor
Fish by Mr.. Wheatley himself, and the
previously cooked up attack on The Star
was forwarded as reply. Then the
Commissioners posed as distinterested
public servants, constrained to do as they
did by Senate resolution which they
had themselves procured, and protected
against responsibility for publishing un-
truths by the shield Of privileged COM
munication. Disingeniousness has char
acterized the course Of these Commits
sioners in retaining private business re-
lations, in conflict with the public inter-
estS, which the community had been led
to consider as severed. Double dealing
has been practiced in the steady pro-
cession rof the intention to be non-parti-
san and in the disavowal OF intention to
make removals, when all the time the
local government was being converted
into Cleveland partisan machine
through the very removals concerning
which the Commissioners had entered
deceptive denials. Retention in office has
been sought by disgraceful deal
through which q Democratic politician
from outside the District was to be sad
died upon the community as Judge. The
same low trickery mingled with an exhi-
bition Of petty spite, has characterized
the whole Of the campaign for reap
pointment Of these inflated officials."