Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-23
No Step Backward.

Inc presentation III the ffouSe
Of bill for the extension and grading of
11th street. solely at the Districts expense,
is a blemish upon this sessions excellent
record of TIE House District committee, an
ugly precedent of violation of the organic
act of IS and blow at the welfare of the
capital similar to that inflicted by those
pernicious provisions of the highway act
which Congress has just wisely repealed.
The District endeavored to convince Con-
gress that the law of 1893. which extended
the grand national plan of the original
city over the misfit subdivisions and I'M
subsiivided land of the suburbs entirely at
local expense, was in this respect intoler-
ably oppressive and grossly unjust. In
pursuance of this demonstration Congress
has cancelled these obnoxious and injur-
icus provisions. the law of 1878 and not
of 1893 prevails. and for the first time since
the latter year it is possible to anticipate
the development of suburban Washington
as an integral part of the national capital
with the same street pan sustained under
the same policy of proportionate cOntribu-
ton by the nation and the nations city.
Hardly have the local expressions of
thankful appreciation o. this act of ,egis-
lative justice died away when the House
District committee proposes to re-enact
streets the ubiquitous principle which it
has just condemned and abolished i'll its
application to the comprehensive extension
of Washingtons streets collectively. Con-
gress is asked to stultify itself.
Ii Is true that Congress must devise a
practicable program of cutting through the
belt OF misft subdivisions which intervene
between the original city and the unsub-
divided land that is mapped by the
amended highway act But the plan
should not be adopted in a hasty, hap
hazard and slipshod fashion. The policy
proposed to he rushed through the House
in dealing with 18th street is a resurrection
of the principle of the highway act which
has just been he nged by the neck until
dead in just punishment of its sins. The
House committees new policy when applied
to successive streets would reasonably elicit
as many groans and curses from Washing
ton taxpayers as the iniquitous act of 1se
The test of Congress upon the future
policy of cutting through the subdivisions
should be made considerably and carefully
at the next session The statute repudiat-
ing natioral concern in this work has been
repealed. The national obligation in the
matter should be vigorously urged in con
nection with the proposed extension of
will emphasize .he national interest
Eleventh street is not from this point of
view good subject for the proposed test
case 1t is not great arterial thorough
fare. to extend through private unsub-
divided land donations to the District line.
and thus to connect and harmonic in part
the original and the outlying city the
proposition is to purchase every foot of an
other narrow. short, crooked and unhar-
monious street and to introduce it as an
additional discordant element into the ex-
istinS hodge-podge. There are of course
citizens " no would be benefited by its Gre
auCn, but the new street would be waltz
able mainly as the roadbed of a proposed
extension of the Metropolitan Street Rail-
way Our semi-public corporations should
lest content with gratuitouS use of the sur
lace of existing streets. District taxpayers
should not be asked to buy and grade for
a street railway suburban roadbed and
10 surrender national participation in the
financial concerns of the capital beyond
Boundary street in order to put in the cor
p0ration pocket this additional public gra-
tuity.
Under the organic act every dollar of
local tax money is potentially two dollars
for all municipal purposes Since the re-
cent amendment of the highway law no
statute exists which takes from under the
operation of the organic act such municipal
expenses as the condemnation and improve
ment of suburban streets. But if Congress
will not at this particular time treat the
capitals dollars more than half dollar rs
n making certain suburban municipal i'm
provements common sense suggests that
srch improvements should be temporarily
pDreI and cJ1rr
be spent upon some municipal need in re-
sptct to wnicn every tax dollar will count
as one hundred cents. 1t is estimated that
Slp.OOo will be required to create 18th
street extended and to put it into shape as
street railway road bed This amount of
local tax money, IL expended upon sewers
D. water supply with the proportionate con-
tribution of the United States under the
Law. would apply to these purposes s52o, coo
The city in the interest Of the public health
urgently needs large immediate expendi-
lures upon a comprehensive system of
sewage disposal and upon an increase of
the quantity and improvement of
the quality of its water. The pending
proposition is in effect to take SGD $50
available for the water and sewer projects
and 20 spend it as $4,000 upon 18th street.
The worldly wisdom of this economic pol
lam.
Al its next session Congress should make
the Districts tax dollars circulate at par
In municipal improvements on both sides
Ga Boundary street Our legislature will
surely perceive the absGrdity of exempting
Crcle Sam, the largest OF our suburban
property owners. from. participation in SUB
Lrban municipal expenditures He exer-
cIses exclusive power of Legislation over
The new as well the old Washington.
lie collects the taxes of the supurbani;e
and spends them where he will IN the Dis
trict. just he does with the taxes of the
urban Washing oman. He owns $500 acres
IN these suburbs TO be rendered more &C
ressible and valuable by these improve
Tnents- Why should the owner of property
entirely inside the city pay for the develop
Hent of streets in the suburbs, if Uncle
sam the largest suburban property owner
vii. ex -mpt himself from such payment
IL he is eqIitably bound to pay for sub
Urban inproN ements. inasmuch as the sub
Urban taxpayer has long contributed to-
ward urban improvements, does not the
same equity apply 10 Uncle Sam, who
owns one-half OF the taxable values o.