Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-10
THE DISTRICT BILL
It Passed the House With the CHAIR
ty Amendments
MANY SPEECHES IN OPPOSITION
Mr.. Fitzgerald Defends the Catho-
lies and Attacks the A. p. A.
MR.. BARTLETTs OBJECTIONS

The House yesterday passed the District
Of Columbia appropriation BILL with the
charity amendments as proposed by the
committee and published heretofore in The
Ster.
One hours debate was allowed, forty-five
minutes of it being allowed to the OPPOSE
ton to the bill.
Mr.. Bartlett's Opposition.
Mr. Bartlett of New York. in opposing
the amendments, said:
Now, what is the question before the
House today? I say that to the newly re-
ported bill we find two salient objections
The BILL you will find upon examination.
cuts out every specific appropriation for
charities, but gives the whole sum, amount
ing to some Sd, 100, to the Commissioners
of this District to be expended according to
their discretion. In other words. the COM
mittee on appropriations say: We are too
cowardly; we dare not exercise our legiti-
mate legislative functions; we dare not ap-
propriate this money to these specific char
tiles, but we throw the whole onus, the
whole burden, upon the Commissioners of
this District and authorize them to expend
this money as they see fit
The Rider.
"What is the other objection? 1t is the
provision, the rider which is in its nature
similar to one Of the planks Of the platform
of the American Protective Association. 1
refer to the sixth article Of the creed Of the
American Protective Association, which de-
clares that
eve condemn the support out of the
public treasury, by direct appropriation or
by contract of any sectarian school, re-
formatory or other institution, not owned
or controlled by the public authority
Il say that the provision now submitted
to the House for approval, contained in
these words:
PROVIDED further That no part of the
for the purpose of maintaining or aiding
by payment for services or expenses, or
otherwise. any church or religious denomi-
nation, or any institution or society which
is under sectarian or ecclesiastical con-
troll
Il say that this rider this new provision
inserted in this appropriation bill, is in es-
sence the same as the plank of the Ameri-
can Protective Association to which have
just called attention. l wish the members
of this House could read the recent exult-
ant article contained in the Illustrated
American. signed by member of the
American Protective Association, in which
he denouHces every one who believes in the
Roman Catholic creed, and says in refer
ence to the A. P. A:
1t yields the balance of power in Con-
gress today
Now. gentlemen, the position I take is
this: For years these charities have grown
up in this District; for many years we have
had in force the system of making specific
and special appropriations for the benefit of
these various institutions; we have appro-
priated money to these institutions, be-
cause they have been found to be excel
lent In character and efficient in their
working capacity. These appropriations
have been made without regard to the creed
or the sect to which it might be claimed
any one of these institutions belonged"