Evening star., 1899-03-01
UNFAIR TO THE DISTRICT
Proposition to Charge 1t With Care of Public
Parks.
Senate by AZ to IS Refuses to Agree
to the Innovation Remarks by
Messrs. Allison and German.

The amendment proposed by the Senate
committee on appropriations to the sundry
civil appropriations bill striking out the pro-
vision that the District pay half the cost of
caring for public parks in the District of
Columbia caused considerable discussion in
the Senate last night.
Mr.. Chiffon criticised the amendment.
Il have never been able to see" he said.
why there should be any distinction be-
tween the obligation which is taken by
state governments in state capitals and the
obligations which should belong to the fed
eral government in the federal capital. ]
presume the Capitol building and the Other
state property belonging to Texas located
IN our capital city would almost equal in
value all the private property within the
city limits. 1t is very probable that the
same condition of affairs exists in the can
ital of the state of the senator from Iowa
Yet L nave never heard ii proposed that the
stare OF Texas should bear any part of the
iocal expenses incident to the civil admin
lStrauon or the city of Austin, in which
our capital is located"
Mr.. Allison advocated the amendment
THE adjustment he said, 'as between
the amounts to be paid from the revenues
OF the District of Columbia and the treas
ury OF the United States was made in 1878
and from that time until the present the
expenditures which are mentioned in the
O
Public buildings and grounds have been
paid wholly by the United States This is
the first appropriation bill in which it IS
provided that one-half of these sums shall
De paid from the revenues of the District
of Columbia.
"A large portion of the expenses here
provided for are expenses practically about
the Executive Mansion and the War, State
and Navy Department building They have
never been considered as being within the
adjustment of 1878, and, as senator's will
see, 1t is in the nature of an anomaly for
this provision to be inserted here"
Mr.. Faulkner asked whether il was not a
fact that the District has no control over
the parking space referred to by the
amendment
Mr.. Allison replied that that was the case.
Of course, l have no special desire or in
terest about this matter Ny only desire
Is to do as near as / can what is fair and
equitable between these two parties having
a sort of limited partnership respecting
I! .nese burdens, but 1t does seem to me that
IL we are to materially change the situation
respecting these expenditures it should not
De done upon an appropriation bill during
the last hours of a Congress"
MI. Gorman also supported the amend
ment.
MIR. German for the Amendment.
L think a moments reflection on the
part OF the senator from Texas and others
who are opposing this amendment" said
amendment should be adopted
There is no comparison to be made in
the conduct and management of this city
with any other in the Union. There is no
city that would go to the expense we are
compelled to go to in the preservation of
public grounds and public buildings in
washington, and 1t would be manifestly
Cn1alr and unjust to the citizens, after
having paid one-half of the expense of keep
ing up all the streets and all the public
improvements, to charge them a single pen
ny for the very expensive establishment
that we are bound to maintain for the pub
lie, for the United States, in the matter of
lighting and preserving and taking care OF
and guarding the public buildings.
1t Is true that within the last year or
TWO attempts have been made and are now
going on TO destroy that system which was
agreed to, not by the citizens of Washing
ton, because that measure was meted out
by Congress itself-that is to make the
citizens of the city of Washington bear the
entire expense of opening the streets, which
the government owns and controls and
manages.
When it comes to the matter of the citi-
zens of Washington paying one-half of the |
cost OF lighting the Capitol grounds or the |
grounds south of the Presidents house, or |
around these buildings, in the grounds |
about the monument, l certain that |
the senator from Texas, when he comes to |
reflect, will see how unjust that would be. |
THE rate of taxation is comparatively |
high, owing to the immense expenditures |
that We require to be made, not only for |
the citizens of Washington, but TO beautify |
and make this the greatest city of the |
Union. 1t is an improvement in which /
every citizen has a pride. and we make |
these extravagant expenditures because il |
is the capital of the country, laid out upon |
a greater scale than any other city in the |
United States. 1t is designed to be hand |
some and great, and the people of this |
country, in my judgment, will not begrudge |
hat fc
it and keep it in condition, SO that 1t will |
attract the attention of every visitor no |
matter from what part of the world he |
comes"
Mr.. Faulkner spoke at some length in /
favor of the amendment.
The amendment was finally agreed to by |
a vote of 43 to ID, as follows:
Yeas-Allison, Bacon, Carter, Chandler, |
Clark, Culom, Debee, Elkins Fairbanks, |
Faulkner. Foraker, Frye, Gear, German, |
Hanna. Harris. Hawley, Kenney, Mcbride, \
McEnery, McLaurin, Mantle, Martin,
Mason, Money, Morgan. Murphy, Nelson, |
Penrose, Perkins, Platt Comm, Pritchard, |
Quay, Ross, Shoup. Simon, Smith, Spooner,
Stewart, Teller, Thurston, Warren, We'll
Nays-Bate, Berry, Butler, Chiffon, Gal
linger, Gray, Lindsay, Pettigrew. Rawlins, /
Roach, Tillman, Turley, White-13.
Not voting-Aldrich, Allen, Baker, Bur-
rows, Caffery, Cannon, Clay, Cockrell,
Daniel, Davis, Hale, Hansbrough, Hetfeld,
Hoar, Jones (Ark), Jones Nev). Kyle
Lodge, Mcmillan, Mallory Mills, Mitchell,
Pasco, Pettus, Platt On. W. Proctor Sewen |
Sullivan, Turner, Turpie, Vest, Wetmore, |
Wilson. Wolcott-34