Evening star., 1901-01-19
Washington Should Develop as the
National City,
THE GOVERNMENTS RESPONSIBILITY
No Line Between Urban and Sub
urban District.
I L d f RAL AID ESSENTIAL

From an argument delivered by Theodore W. Nnyes,
president of Washington Board Of Tlade,
hrfote committees of the Fitty-htth Congress
us9T-1syst.
The unjust and iniquitous repeal of the
act of 1878 would be ruinous to the local
taxpayers: and its serious violation as by
its repeal. direct indirect. in its appli-
cation to the portion OF the District outside
Of original Washington. would be proper
tonately disastrous.
If through the repeal Of the organic act
of 1878 the entire burden of capital ex-
penses were thrown upon the local tax
payers the present fieavy per capita tax
levy would no doubled A mere handful of
District taxpayers now raise annually, to
be expended by the government the
capital. over $3o0o.0oo. More than ST.
oOU.0D of the local revenues are diverted
into interest and sinking fund charges in
connection with the debt contracted iy the
agents of the government mainly to i'm
prove the streets. the governments ex-
elusive property. in carrying out the gov
ernmcnts Obligations to build up q capital
worthy of the great republic Six millions
now expended annually for the capital are
not enough to meet the current reasonable
and increasing municipal needs. Three mil
lions contributed by the local taxpayers
would be entirely inadequate to sustain
the national capital il now exists or to
keep 1t in line OF natural development A
Reputation of national Obligations in
SpeCt TO the nations city would result
either IN a discreditab,e capital. poorly sus-
tanned by reasonable taxation upon local
resources, or in the virtual confiScation of
local property through excessive taxation.
y partial repeal of the act of 1878, as by
limiting its application to the bounds of
tie original Washington, and by resembling
1t so far as all of the District outside of the
original city is concerned. wolYtd work a
corresponding measure OF injury to the
the people of the District asked that body
10 Gmend or repeal the so-caied highway
act Tor the purpose of Kidding the capital
of an injurious discrimination against that
part Of the city which happens to lie out
side the bounda ries of the original WASH
ington. An appeal was made to our legis-
lature to refrain from the obvious injustice
Of extending the grand national street plan
of the capital exclusively at local expense.
1t was demonstrated that this course would
be OutraSeously unfair and unendurably
oppressive. Congress was urged to amend
the highway act i'll such manner as to
repeal section IL of that act. which pro-
vided that condemna ton damages under the
highway Jaw should be one-half assessed
against the land benefited thereby without
regard to the aggregate percentage of
actual benefit and the other half charged
up to the revenues Of the District. Not
only was the United States excluded by
this section from participation in the origi-
nal condemnation of the streets. but the
ma ton caused to repudiate for all
time to come financial concern in the capi-
tai beyond Boundary street by the pro-
vision that no expense for the improve
ment Of any street. circle, reservation
avenue laid out under the provisions of
this act outside of the cities of Washing
ton and Georgetown shall be charged to the
Treasury of the United States but such ex-
pense shall be paid solely out of the rev.
enues of the District of Columbia" This
provision was a repeal by indirection of the
organic act of 1873 so far as the new Wash
irgton beyond Boundary street is concern
ed. and was Il precedent pointing the way
to the entire destruction of that equitable
statute
Congress needed the urgent appeal made
to II, and among the amendments of the
highway act passed at the last session was
one repeating section 1J Congress thereby
condemned and repudIated the proposal
embodied in the highway law Of 1899 to ex-
tend the grand national plan of the original
city over the misft subdivisions and un-
Subdiyided, land of the suburbs entirely at
! Local expense. The law of 1878 now ap-
pies to all municipal expenditures, in
Guiding those for Condemning and fmprOV
ing streets. in all parts of the District
without any exception whatsoever. and for
the first time since lSE; it Is possible to
anticipate the development of suburban
Washington as an integral part of the ma
tionai capital with the same street plan
sustained under the sasfie policy OF pro-
port,ouate contribution by the nation and
the nations city.
Re-EnnctinE Section Fifteen.
But hardly IS the District rid of the per-
ncious provisions of section IL when lcgiS-
lation is proposed III various bills which
will re-enact piccemcal in the case Of sue
cesSve single streets the iniqutous prnci-
pie of exclusive local contribution for SUI
burban street condemnation and improve
ment which Congress has just condemned
and abolished in its application to the COM
| ah.,,s
streets collectively. Congress is asked by
these bits to reverse and to stultify it
self.
Every protest and every argument ever
made against the existence of section 10.
| lately deceased. apply with equal force to
the proposed resurrection now of the prn-
cipe and spirit OF that obnoxious enact
ment. Congress and this community, hav-
ing in effect diSapproved repud a ton of the
| half and half principle in reference to the
extension of WaShngtons streets collec-
lively, VIII not of course abandon that
principle in the extension of the same
streets individually and separately
In every possible way the peop.e of the
District have protested against the pro-
posed imposition whether the street ex-
| tensions are presented one at a time or in
| a bunch. The Board Of Trade has repeated
| ly and formally declared that proportionate
| contribution by the United States under
| the act of 1SiS is vital feature of such
| extensions, lacking which they should NOT
1 -
| national scale Its latest declaration on the
| general subject is contained in a resolution.
| unanimously adopted on the 9th Of Janu-
| ary 1898, as follows
| Resolved That i'll the Opinion of the
! Beard of Trade it is the duty of the Dis
| trict officials and citizens generally not to
propose or give assent publicly or privately
| to appropriations being made for any NUM-
| cpal purposes other than those made in
accordance with the act of June II, 1878;
| and that it should be made manifest to
| Congress. whenever necessary. in an earn
| est and unmistakable but respectful man.
| ner, that appropriations made otherwise
are not desirable or acceptable.
The Whole District is the Seat of
| Government.
| There is no justification of any attempt
| to dissect the federal District and to pace
the severed portions In differing relations
| to the nation. The Constitution set apart
| for national uses and subjected to the ma
! tional power of exclusive legislation with
| the accompanying disabilities every foot of
| the ten miles square, and not merely that
! portion of 1t which was first plated to
| form the original city of Washington.
| Every District property owner is equally
| subject To the exclusive Jurisdiction of Con-