Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-02-14
The Bill Adjusting the Financial
Relations Of the United States to
tho nfsfr

We have examined with some care the
amendment to the 18th section of our tax law
offered by Governor Hendee i'm the House,
and published in Tuesdays STAR. 1t bears
scrutiny well, and appears to us a most sim
pie, and therefore satisfactory, way to settle
the financial relations of the United States to
the District the settlement of which is the one
boon all crave at the hands of Congress. Every
other interest of ours. calling for legislation
at this time is absolutely insignificant when
compared with this paramount one, af-
fecting. as it does all classes in all grades and
conditions of life, down to the poorest deni-
zen of sIuatter'S hOvel. The amendment
provides that the United States shall cease to
appropriate. for part support of our police,
fire and health departments: that it, through
the Secretary of the Treasury, shall credit to
the District from and after July |, lSTI-thuS
including the current fiscal year-dOllar for
dollar, as much as the District treasurer shall
deposit in the Treasury of the United States,
TO the credit of the District. Not dollar can
be SO credited until the Secretary of the Urea
Sury has actual proof by deposit that the peO-
pie of the District have paid up their proper
ton. From this fund all the expenses of the
District government proper are to be paid.
The Commissioners can only apply the money
TO purposes authorized by law or to those in
tail and appropriated by Congress. The re-
suit will be TO eStabli an income for the Dis
trict of a reliable character to the extent of
the tax law, subject to modification by Con-
grassland with one vehicle of expenditure
only. The immediate effect will be to secure
to the District for the current year an amount
equal to its revenues, say total of about
sl550,OO0. From this will be deducted the
amount paid by the United States for the sup
port of the Police. Fire and Health depart
ments. amounting to about sl5O.00O: for an ap-
preparation of s250,000 for general purposes;
and for advances for interest on 3 S. bonds
amounting altogether to about sg1O,OD0. thus
leaving in round numbers about $4,000 avail
able for District purposes.
The estimates submitted by the Commits
sioners last month, and referred TO in the text
OF the amendment, called for about this
amount to be appropriated by Congress to
enable them to carry out the purposes men
toned in detail i'm the estimates. These en-
brace continuance of the public schools for
the usual term; for an increace i'm the number
of fire engines; for requirement. of streets
where rotten wooden payementS have become
impossible; for the improvement of certain
localities and for payment of judgments, &C.;
all OF which, IL appears, can be successfully
executed as result of the passage of this
amendment, while the income in the future
Will be sufficient tor an economical and judi
cious prosecution of the improvement of the
streets. As to the amount the United States
would have to pay under this amendment,
hereafter yearly, it must not be overlooked
that it will be entirely under the control of
Congress, as the District can have only the
amount of revenues it will be authorized by
law to collect, and that amount will be the
exact measure OF the contributions of the
United States.