Evening star., 1898-05-07
Amend or Repeal the Highway Act

The evils in or flowing from the highway
act which needed to be corrected Were ID
an outrageously unjust method of paying
for condemnations and improvements, Cl
too comprehensive and too expensive con-
demnations in rectifying misfit subdivisions
and t3l minor injustices and expressions TO
which suburban property owners were sub
jected.
The amendatory bill proposed by the
Board of Trade and the Commissioners
cured wholly or in part all these evils. 1t
freed the local taxpayers and suburban
property owners from the intolerable bur-
den imposed by section fifteen of the high
way act. 1t cut down the cost of rectify-
ing subdivisions from eight ten millions
to four millions. 1t remedied various minor
defects of the act of 1855 which the effort
to put the law into operation had devel-
oped.
The Senate District committee recently
announced that it had decided to report
favorably this bill. The House District
committee, instead of amending the high
way act, has decided TO report favorably d
proposition for its total repeal.
The action of the latter committee is
based upon the following considerations.
The amendatory bill is also an appropria-
ton BILL in that il proposes the issue of
four millions of bonds to be borne equally
by the United States and the District, to
pay for the rectitication of misfit subdivi-
sions. The House committee convinced it
self that the House would not assent to
this bond issue. Since it could not as. it
thought. secure rectifcation of the subdi-
visions in the manner desired by the COM
munity and expressed in the amendatory
bill, il decided that it would be wisest to
leave for the present the subdivisions as
they are. 1t accepted The suggested alter
native, and despairIng of the absolutely
necessary amendment of the highway act,
it voted Tor total repeal.
1t would be very strange, however, if
there We're nothing whatsoever of value
either in the original highway act or in the
engineering and map-making work per
formed in accordance with its PROVISIONS
during period of five years. These labors
upon suitable street plan for the future
Washington should not be wasted. Total
repeal is radical, sweeping act, unneces-
sarily destructive in its results. A can
oerous growth i'll ones arm is to be re-
moved by the delicate instruments of the
surgeon; the whole arm is not to be
chopped off at the shoulder by d meat ak.
1t should be possible to cut out the often
what Is wholesome intact.
The Senate District committee has also
recently reached the conclusion that Con-
gress will not al this time authorize the
proposed four million bond issue. AS
speedy action Is imperative. this committee
has requested the Commissioners and the
Board of Trade committee to frame for
their use, in a possible emergency, an
" m
mediate appropriation or bond issue. which
viii consequently leave untouched the sub
divisions whose correction involves practi-
oally all of the expense. and which will
preserve for the benefit of the capital as
much possible of the painst aking and
intelligent map-makinS labors IN plotting
unSubdivi1ed lands in the county. The
Kill. printed elsewhere in The Star today,
Is intended 10 meet these requirements.
Whether the revised amendatory meas
ure, TO be favored probably by the Senate
committee. or the repeal measure suggested
by the House committee is enacted into
law, the District will be winner. 1t will
gain freedom in any event from the bur
densome eXactions and the dangerous pre-
cedent of the violation of the act of 1875
involved in section fifteen of the highway
law.
Since everybody-including Commission
ers. congressional committees, Board of
Trade and citizens ass 1ciations-has either
openly declared in favor of legislation based
on the half-and-half principle or has re-
fused 10 compel the enforcement of a law
which violates this principle there is little
danger of d successful attempt to foist
upon the District taxpayers and suburban
property owners the entire burden of a
bond issue or an appropriation to extend
the national street plan of the nations
city There would be no danger at all of
this disaster II there could be assurance
against underhanded, treacherous work,
for the benefit solely of private selfish in
teIests at the expense of the general well
fare.