Evening star., 1898-01-18
THE FREE LIBRARY Y
An Earnest Argument for Appropri-
alton for Its Support.
THE ENTIRE FIELD GONE over
Not Made Unnecessary by the Con-
gressonaI Library.
THE LAW QU o 7 Z d

Il. ii. W drner ana weston mt, mas E;u Il
hearing before the subcommittee of the
House appropriations committee. Mr..
Noyes is president of the trustees and of
the board of trade. Mr.. Warner is chair
man of the board of trade library COM
mittee and vice president of the library
trustees. Mr.. Flint is trustee and a
member of the board of trade library conf
nIittee.
In response to the appeals of the local
board of trade, the workInsmen's organiza-
tons, the Commissioners, the school trus-
tees. the newspapers, numerous citize MS
organizati tiOns and the public generally, the
last Congress created free public library
for the District of Columbia. The law as
approved by the President public act 1I6,
approved June 3. 1896, creates the library
as the property of the District and as "a
supplement of the public educational syS-
TEN of said District" places it under the
control of the District Commissioners and
orders that it shall be maintained In
accordance with this command of the law
the Commissioners have in due course sub
mitted estimates for such maintenance.
They have estimated for all parts of our
public educational system, for the schools
81 1a0n.oo0. for the library, which the
law has created as a supplement of the
schools. S12.:oO.
To show that this estimate is modest and
economical the committee submitted a
rles in America giving statistics concern
ing lo1 free libraries in the United States.
and also detailed reports of the annual ex-
pendtures of the libraries i'll Salem Mass.
and Newark, y. j., which started with
about the same number of volumes as Will
be contained in the Washington library AZ
the time of its opening.
The Washington library has, it is esti-
mated, between S3OOc and 81 .orO in sub
scriptions with which to purchase books: il
has the tender of between 11,tbo and 12.uoo
volumes now in the Washington city free
library and pledges OF numerous additional
volumes and of additional subscriptions in
money with which to purchase books as
soon as a maintenance fund has been pro-
vijed by municipal appropriation. 1t is
expected that the library will open with
between 1000 and .a.utr, books. and that
within the first year this number will b.
Increased to 25.0oD or :onoo III their first
year the Salem and Newark libraries con-
tanned. respectively, 1.03o and $1,000
volumes.
MIR. NOycs' Argument.
Mr. Noyes. who made the formal argu-
mert in behalf of the library. said in sub
stance:
We may again be met by the proposition
to place the library expense exclusively on
lo,al taxation, though the last action of
the House of Representatives on this sub
Ject was on March >, 1877 TO vote down
this proposition.
by the law itself the library is a part of
cur public educational system and the Law
itself declares that it shall be maintained
How maintained? Presumably like the
schools. the public educational system, OF
which ii is the supplement.
Concerning the maintenance estimate
submitted by the Commissioners in accord
ance with the law, the organic act of
1SIs says: Sec. IS. To the extent to which
Congress shall approve of said estimates.
Congress shall appropriate the amount of
''b per centum thereof. and the remaining
Jb per CentUm of such approved estimates
.Nai be levied and assessed upon the tax
able property and privileges in said Dis
triCt other than the property of the United
States and of the District of Columbia
AS Wash'ngtonians construe that stat
ute there IS no authority for apprOpriating
Tor any of the items of the estimate other
wise than on the haif-and-half basis The
only provision for local taxation in the act
directs the raising by such taxation of a
lredetermlntd amount. exactly equal to the
sum which Congress has appropriated from
the national funds. and this amount is
fixed by law at One-half of the aggregate
tf the approved estimates. Congress may
of course. withhold approval from an csti-
mate. reduce II in amount or reject it a.
together. or by direct action amend or
rtSc-nd the act Of 1878. but to the extent
of its approval of the estimates so long as
lhe act OF lStS is unchanged. IL would
seem that the appropriation should b.,
mao IN the manner contemplated by Law
IL Gees not appear that there is any Dis
trlct tax money TO be extended in amy wa,.
except that which is raised under the a.,
81 lNtS To he spent on the half and half
basis. which would not perhaps be legally
aNal.stbie Tor expenditure in any other
manner.
The General Desire fer IT,
But. assuming that Congress can. with
Pcrt"c; propricty. as it undoubtedly can
ct7pptIcally. as a matter of fact. thus
practically nullify. by indirection. an ex-
1s;ln2 law. why Should this small item of
Si-'"' cut Of an appropriation of some
six millions be singled out and made the
basis OF an invidious discrimination? TIE
Item Is for the maintenance of a municipal
Institution. created by Congress and or
dered to be maintained as a part OF tn
local public educ1tiO system No Gths-
part OF that system is sIurred by being
mac" an exception 10 the act of 1873 Its
u cS are not private or s%mi-priyatc bI,.
broadly public. The local wcrkinarnen's
ORGANIZATIONS have petitiored ard worked
Itr IL The school trustees representiuc
.opp children OF school age have warmly
iEdorsed il More than $4,000 government
clerks Will profit By it. The national GOV
cIliH,@ht, Which has steadily fostered pub
hC educational efforts. and has Appropriated
hundred million acres of land and a
great many millions of dollars for public
tducation in the various states. would not
De expected to discriminate against this
small item Of educational appropriation for
the District Of Columbia to which not one
acre OF public land has ever been donated
for that purpose.
Washington cannot afford a library I'D
on any other than the half-and- half basis
NO citizen would. | believe, be willing to
be held responsible for so dangerous a pre-
cedent as palpable violation of the law
OF lsis in the librarys behalf. Every dol
lar raised by taxation under the act of ISIS
Is Potentially 81 for municipal expenditure
Washington would be foolish to waste these
double dollars as single dollars upon a
library or anything else. Moreover the
present subscription money to purchase
books. aggregatinS between 5000 and
$1,000. a memorial fund of $1,000 to be
Increased to 5000. fer the purchase of GER
tain periodicals. and numerous donations
of books, are conditioned upon municipal
maintenance of the library ON the same
basis as the public schools.
1T Will be in effect denial of oil MAIN
tenance and the destruction of the library
project II there is any departure from or
violation of the act Of 1878. and the library
act of June 3. 1896 in appropriative legis.a-
ton upon this subject
This should be the last exception to be
made in applying the act OF 1878 to the
Commissioners estimates. for 1t will serve