Evening star., 1939-02-26
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Citizens of the District were Justly dis
gruntled half century ago over the
report of the congress
sional committee inves-
No'"'"'''es ti2ating the water main
Report and sewer scandal as is
to be noted in the following editorial in
The Star OF February q, 1882
Words are inadequate to express the
disgust of this community at the show
ing made and the prospect presented by
the report of the congressional commit
tee on the aQueduct tunnel. If the
United States had decided to extend the
water works at the national expense,
just as the original works were COM
structed. the people Of the District
would feel only the indignation Of all
American citizens at the exposure OF a
fraud practiced upon the Government,
involving a loss which touches only
slightly the individual citizen. But the
District has special grievance in this
matter.
BY legislation the Nation has made
the District an equal partner in this
construction so far as paying the bills is
concerned. but has decided for itself
what the work should cost, how it should
be conducted and who should be entrust-
ed with it. Under the control of agents
of the General Government. who form
no part of the government Of the Dis
trict. and are not in any respect ac-
countable to it, and for whose acts the
District is not at all responsible the work
has daWdled along, the cost enormously
increasing beyond the amount of the
original estimates with each delay.
"On examination the work thus accom-
plished with the waste of months Of time
and a heavy expenditure of money. is
found to be practically worthless. The
agents of the Government have not
even, it is stated, secured their employ
ers by requiring bond from the con-
tractors to construct the tunnel lining
according to specifications. Inability to
force the contractors to replace the rot
ten lining becomes an argument for the
entire abandonment of the costly tun-
nel and for a scheme of furnishing the
needed increase in the water supply by
surface aqueduct, the District undoubt-
edly to share one-half the expense of the
new plan, as we'll as one-half of the loss
from the abandonment of the old.
"The District tenders freely to every
body whose neglect of duty has contrib
uted to this result. and to everybody re-
sponsible for this disgraceful mismanage-
ment, the assurance of total absence
of its distinguished consideration. Per-
haps the United States can afford to
cost of work of this kind. to permit
fraudulent and worthless work to be inn
posed upon it at eXtravagant prices, to
allow its agents to neglect to compel
security for the faithful performance of
the agreements of contractors, to aban-
don outright millions of dollars of labor
and incur fresh expense in new plan.
The District cannot afford it. The invol-
untary silent partner of the United
States in this transaction enters vigorous
protest. Instead of taking the Districts
surplus to pay for tunnel which it is
now proposed to abandon because the
Nations agents have permitted it to be
cheated and have failed to protect it by
exacting the necessary bonds, the cost of
the rotten. worthless work should be re-
moved entirely from the District, which
is not at fault and assumed by the Ma
ton, which, through its agents, has
caused and is responsible for the loss"