Evening star., 1901-02-04
A Nice Deransement of Epitaph..

the treasury to meet the deficiency in the
District revenues caused by the obnoxious
street extension legislation and to enable
the capital to push ahead with the fltra-
tion. sewerage and other urgent munich
pal projects Is in purpose just and intelli-
gent measure, and the method proposed Of
meeting a serious emergency is the very
best that could be devised.
But the act touches upon street extern
sions and by a strange fatality which
seems to attach to congressional legisla-
ton upon this subject the wording imme-
diately becomes threateningly ambiguous
In attempting to make the words fit the
intent In dealing with street extension
Congress seems habitually to go astray,
wandering from clearness as far as from
justice, and rivaling Mrs. Malaprop in "a
nice arrangement of epitaphs.''
For instance. Congress intended to make
property owners benefited by street extern
sion pay for such benefits. In spite of pro-
tests 1t provided that one-half the cost Of
such extensions should be arbitrarily as
sessed as benefits against such property
owners, irrespective Of the actual benefit
derived. This provision offended common
sense. and perhaps the Constitution Of the
United States; and q possible result Of the
blunder Is the escape OF these property own
ers from any assessment and the imposi-
ton OF the entire expense upon the reve-
nues of the District.
Congress also denied national participa-
ton in the concerns Of the capital beyond
Boundary street and suggested the estab-
lishment of a precedent in dealing with the
new Washington, which If followed to its
logical conclusion would wreck the organic
act and plunge the capital into insolvency.
So, In the legislation just enacted. Con-
gress wished to provide that the legisla-
ton for advances from the treasury was
not to be construed as altering the terms
of acts concerning certain street extensions
already authorized, which directed that the
cost of such extensions should be paid
from the revenues Of the District OF Co
iumbia- But instead Of expressing this in
tent in unambiguous terms Congress mas
declared itself in words which may be con-
strued as laying down general rule OF
action In respect to all street extensions
including those hereafter to be authorized
as we'll as those already directed exclusive
Iy at the District expense. The danger
from this muddied wording has already
been sufficiently indicated in The Star,
But the antiquities are not all ON one
side of the account. Congress intended to
provide that the portion payable by the
District of all advances made under the
act should be repaid in four instaflments
with interest at 2 per cent. 1t IN fact pro-
yided that the District should repay all
advances in four installments bearing
per cent interest except in cases where
the terms of the appropriation under which
such advances are made snail expressly
provide for payment Jointly by the United
% NnfI hi d.
| yances to meet such Joint appropriations
are excepted from reimbursement by the
District in four equal installments with In
| terest at 2 per cent. Except in the case OF
street extensions already authorized all the
appropriations which these advances are to
meet are made through the District appro-
priation bill on the half and half basis;
| and the provision above quoted seems to
relieve the District from interest payments
on its half of such advances. and from the
requirement Of reimbursement in four an
nual installments. and. so far as this sec
ton Is concerned, from any obligation
whatsoever to reimburse Its quota of these
joint advances. The proviso commands the
reimbursement In specified way OF ad-
vances to meet appropriations exclusively
from the District revenues. expressly ex-
| cepts from this plan of reimbursement ad-
vances to meet Joint appropriations by the
United States and the District, and makes
no provision whatsoever for the reimburse
ment by the District Of its half OF these
| joint appropriations.
The attention OF Congress was called tc
these faults of wording. Senator McMil-
| lan's amendment would have cured them.
But 1t was not considered safe to reques;
the House to put in unambiguous language
| Its avowed and conceded intent in the
matter. And besides the harmony and
| symmetry of chronically muddle-headed
| street extension legislation must and shall