Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-29
ACTION OF CITIZENS
Meeting Called to Consider the De
Almond Bill.
DISTRICT AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Their Financial Relations and Equi-
ties Discussed.
TO PREPARE A EMORIAL

Some pertinent and interesting state
ments were made at meeting at the
Airing ton last evening of representatives of
several citizens associations of the Dis
trict in regard to the relations between
| the general government and the District.
These statements covered the history of
the past. as well as brought out the facts
| of the present. and after a general inter-
change of views a committee was appointed
to draw up a statement and submit it for
| approval at a subsequent meeting. The
coming together Of the representatives of
the several citizens associations was in
| response to an invitation from Mr.. ]. w.
Babson. president Of the East Washington
Citizens Association. acting under the
| ders of the executive committee of that
| association, in which attention was called
| to the bill No. 1852, which was introduced
| in the House on the It'll Of December by
| Mr.. De Almond of Missouri. which was re-
| ferred to the committee on appropriations
and ordered to be printed. This measure
Is entitled "A bill to repeal all provisions
Of the law for the payment by the United
| States OF one-haf of the appropriations for
the District Of Columbia" and is as fol-
| lows:
BE it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States of
acts and parts OF acts. in so far as they d.
rect or provide for the appropriation and
payment by the United States of one-half
Of the approved estimates and expendi-
lures Of the District of Columbia, be, and
| they are hereby, repealed"
| The Invitation added that the report on
this bill will probably be made by a mem
Der OF the appropriation committee who has
fHp boa L., faxr Se
repeal. and there Is good reason to fear that
II favorable committee report be made
| the bill will pass the House.
ITO avert such disaster. apparently i'm
miEent, immediate action by citizens ap-
pears to be necessary. 1t was therefore de-
sired to call a joint meeting of the members
| Of the executive committees of all the cit
liens associations in the District to advise
necessary to meet 1t. We invite You and all
the members Of the executive committee of
your association to meet US at 1:30 o'clock
on Thursday. the 2Sth instant. at the new
reception room of the Arlington Hotel"
| The Delegates Present.
Those who responded to the invitation
met in the place designated, and 1t was
found that four citizens associations were
represented. as follows:
West Washington-F. L. Moore, G. G.
Boteler. G.. w. King, Archibald Greenlees,
E. p. Berry.
East Washington. w. Babson, NJ. L.
Weller, William Birney, A. F. Sperry, F. A.
Lehman.
/ Northeast washington-w ]. Frizzell,
Evan H. Tucker, Walter A. johnson. N. L.
King A. n. F. Holstein.
| Mount Pleasant-James w. Somerville,
Ellis Spear. w. l.. Cole, E. w. Woodruff,
]. B. Sleman. ST. George r, Raby, N. E:
Young, F. L. Campbell.
Mr.. J. w. Babson called the meeting to
order, and on his nomination Gen. Ellis
Spear was elected chairman. The organiza-
ton was completed by the election of c. q.
Boteler vice president: NJ. /. Weller, Sec
rotary. and Evan H. Tucker, assistant sec
| rotary. Mr.. Babson stated that invitations
had been extended to the Citizens Associa-
| tiQns of Southwest Washington, Bright
| wood, Anacostia and Tenleytown, making
eight associations in all that had been in
| vited to send representatives to the meet
ing. The chair then called on Gen. Birney
to make statement in regard to the bill
| which was named in the call for the meet
ing and which was read at the outset by
Mr.. Babson.
The Purpose of the Bill.
Gen. Birney, in response. read the text
Of the bill, which is given above. and then
remarked that it was short and to the
point. He said that it was intended to re-
peal that portion of the act of June IL,
1878, which provided for the appropriation
by the general government of 80 per cent of
the approved estimates of the annual ex-
penses of the District of Columbia. He said
that there had been some discussion in re-
gard to this bill in the newspapers. and also
in the East Washington Association of
| which he Is member. He said that he did
not know of any intention on the part of
citizens of the District to disturb the rela-
lions which existed between the District
and general government.
1t was thought, however, that in the event
Congress should take action on this subject
| as outlined in the bill, it ought to be shown
| koff in nav, tnxx-a ..3
the expenses of the District. 1t was thought
wise to maintain the existing status and
the citizens of the District asked no more
than right and justice. He then spoke of
the acquisition by the government of the
property in this District. and said that when
the location was selected the proprietors
retained but 1 $40 acres, the balance of over
| 1000 acres within the limits of the city be-
ing taken by the United States The reser-
vations were paid for from the proceeds of
the sales of the lots donated by the proprie-
tors to the United States. The result was
that the acquisition of the property owned
by the government in this city did not in
voive the outlay of single cent on the part
of the United States.
Omcial Testimony.
In confirmation of this statement he read
extracts from the report made by Represen-
tative Southland in the Twenty-third Con-
gress in which 1t was shown that the prop
erty in this city had been secured by the
government without the payment of a sin.
gle cent. He then spoke of the magnificen,
style in which the city was laid out; q
style as 10 the width and length of the
streets that was unequaled in magnificence
, Broadway, the principal street in New York
CITY, Is only fifty feet wide, not much more
than half the average width of the streets
in this city. The area of the streets and
avenues contains two or three times as much
| ground as in the case of any city organized
under any ordinary municipal government
1t was manifest, he said, that the reason
for all this was that the city was intended
to be the capital Of the country. with ac-
commolations for all the people of the
country. 1t was never intended that the
expense of maintaining such city should
be borne by the citizens. The city govern.
ment from 1902 to 1872 struggled alone
under a condition of bankruptcy, and hand.
ed over to it's successor. the District govern.
ment a burden of debt During this period
the people of the District had paid thirteen
or fourteen millions more than the United
States for municipal purposes. 1t was found
that this city could not get along without
the government paying it's share. Gen Bir-
ney referred to the work of the citizens
committee of one hundred in the year 1877
and said that the result of it's effort was
the passage Of the 80 per cent provision
Under this wise law the affairs here had
moved along quietly and smoothly until
the past two or three years, when a decided
disposition became manifest on the part OF