Evening star., 1946-05-12
Congress Responsible
For District MisruIe
Catastrophe Government Seen
AS Result of Neglect
By John w. THOMPSON, Jr

AS Result of Neglect
By John w. Thompson, J.
When a District official recently
lamented the Districts apparent gov
ernment by catastrophe" he was voicing
the subsurface reaction of many mu-
nicipal employees to the citys newest
furor-the reorganization of the penal
administration.
In the present case, for example, it
is ironic that nearly all of the sug-
gestions for improvements made by the
House subcommittee that investigated
the jail have been recommended or
started on small scale in previous years
by the Board of Public Welfare.
Reliance on the Federal Bureau of
Prisons for skilled personnel to admin
lister the penal institutions, currently
expressed in the borrowing of Warden
J. Ellis Overlade OF Terre Haute Gnd)
Federal Penitentiary to supervise the
reorganization, is far from new. Both
Welfare Director Ray Hun, who former
ly was penal director, and Howard B.
Gill, dismissed superintendent whom
Mr.. Overlade succeeds. came from the
Bureau of Prisons
The Welfare Board record will further
show ample evidence of effort to get
funds to strengthen the Jail, to re-
classify guards for better pay, and to
increase the number OF guards.
~, ha
budget balancing and the impact Of
the war years these features of de-
velopment for the penal institutions
have been left out or curtailed.
Then came the escape of nine prison.
ers from the jail between November
and April all of whom have since been
recaptured. In the space of few
weeks congressional investigation was
held and present and long-term changes
charted. Preliminary cost of these
changes was estimated at $577,O0O by
the Commissioners but this has been
cut to $4s1 800 by the Senate subcom-
mittee which handles the 1947 District
budget. Also involved are basic legis-
lative changes in Welfare Board status
that were blown from a Capitol pigeon
hole by the eruption.
The Jail catastrophe" thus passes into
history with the earlier "catastrophe
of the Home for the Aged" at Blue
Plains, the catastrophe of the National
Training School for Girls" and the re-
cent catastrophe of the Gallinger Hos
pital baby deaths" to mention only a
few occurring in the past several years.
In each Of these explosions, largely
resulting from condemnation by people
in high places, thousands of dollars were
spent for mprovements-dollars jerked
from the course of planned expenditure
elsewhere and funneled hastily to at
tempt to correct the exposed evil.
This is what the oficial meant bv
government by catastrophe. Now isn't
that curious way to do business?"
he asked. 1t is
There is no attempt here to deny the
need for Improvements where the ex-
plosions have occurred Nor is there
any attempt to deny that the conditions
would probably still be largely uncor-
rected were it not for the explosions,
The fact remains that the District has
definite limit to its income. This
income is annually allocated to the city
departments to meet the most pressing
needs OF each as far as the Commits
sioners and the District budget oficer
can foresee them a year in advance of
the actual spending Thus, any devia-
ton from the ALLEGATIONS they approve
is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Some
other municipal department or depart
ments will get less money is the s48l 800
is approved for the Jail in the normal
course of events.
1t is difficult to exaggerate the effect
OF this sort of opportunist government
on District officials A head of q de-
partment would be derelict in his duty
to allow service or institution needing
improvements SO to deteriorate that
eventually an explosion occurs. Yet
this seems to be the way to get money
quickly.
What should a department head do
when he recognizes a need to be met
and realizes he is in competition with
10 departments, boards and agencies
for the limited District income? Some
times he will ask for the moon knowing
he'll get only quarter of it but at
least getting credit on the record for
asking. Year after year he can reassert
that need in the unexciting language of
budget justification and year after year
see it postponed in favor Of what appear
to the Commissioners and Congress to
be greater needs. Should he burst forth
in the sensational approach of the Gal
linger Hospital officials? 1t will prob
ably get the hospital more and badly
needed nurses but again at the expense
of some robbed Peter.
When government by catastrophe will
give way to orderly municipal planning
only Congress. omnipotent in District
affairs by the Constitution of the United
States, can and will decide. Until that
day the taxpayers can expect to lock
more doors after the horse has been
stolen.
If and When