Evening star., 1898-12-12
Street Exfension.

The House bill now pending in the Senate
for the extension and grading of 11th street
solely at the Districts expense the fore
runner of a host of similar extension bills,
is 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 al its last session 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repealed.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 mistit subdivisions and unsubd-
vided land of the suburbs entirely at local
expense. was in this respect intolerably op-
pressive and grossly unjust. In pursuance
of this demonstration Congress has cam
Cellcd these obnoxious and injurious pro-
visions. the law of 1873 and not of 1893 pre-
walls. and for the first time since the latter
year it is possible TO anticipate the develop
ment of suburban Washington as an in
teGral part of the national capital with the
same street plan sustained under the same
policy of proportionate contribution by the
nation and the nations city. The extern
sion bills now under consideration propose
to re-enact piecemeaI in the case of sue
cessive single streets the iniqutous prin-
ciple which Congress has just condemned
and abolished in it's application to the COM
prehensive extension of Washington ;
streets collectively.
1t is true that Congress must devise 4
practicable program of cutting through the
belt Of misft subdivisions which intervene
between the original city and the unsubd-
vided land that is mapped by the amended
highway act. But this policy should not be
adopted in q haphazaTd and slipshod
fashion by Easty action on the first extern
sion bill presented, hut should be formed
carefully and considerably. with full recog-
milton of the meaning of what is done.
Under the organic act every dollar of
local tax money is potentially two dollars
for all municipal purposes. Since last ses-
Sons amendment of the highway law no
statute exists which takes from under the
organic act such municipal expenses as the
condemnation and improvement of sub
urban streets. Congress should make the
Districts tax dollars circulate at par in
municipal improvements on both sides OF
Boundary street. Our legislature will surely
perceive the absurdity of exempting Uncle
Sam. the largest Of our suburban property
owners. from participation in suburban
municipal expenditures. He exercises ex-
elusive power of legislation over the new as
well as the old Washington. He collects
the taxes of the suburbante and spends
them where he will in the District just as
he does with the taxes Of the urban Wash
iugtonan. He owns 5000 acres in these
suburbs to he rendered more accessible and
valuable by these improvements. Why
should the owner of property entirely inside
the city pay for the development of streets
in the suburbs, if Uncle Sam, the largest
suburban property owner, will exempt him
self from such payment? II the former is
equitably bound to pay for suburban i'm
proyements. inasmuch as the suburban
taxpayer has long contributed toward ur-
ban improvements does not the same equity
9pply to Uncle Sam. who owns one-half of
the taxable values of Washington?