Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-10

The appeal of the District Commissioners
10 Congress for an advance to meet de-
fiCiCncy in the local revenues caused by the
heavy drains upon them to pay for street
extensions, is the logical result of the in
Justice committed by Congress a few years
ago in passing laws which violated the or
ganiC act of 1878 and every principle of the
national capital partnership. When those
laws were in contemplation after the in
iquitous section Is Of the original highway
extension act had been repealed. the COM
mittees of Congress were plainly told that
the enforcement of the statutes and the ex-
ecution of the work involved, under the
terms proposed would mean the wreck of
the Districts finances. One speaker, ad-
dressing both the District and the appro-
priations committees of the two houses, de-
clared:
The proposition, carried to Its logical
termination means bankruptcy to the local
taxpayers. The municipal expenses, even
with extremely moderate suburban i'm
proVementS on cramped street plan, and
with the nation contributing it's share OF
the entire cost, have sufficed to keep the
taxes up to a high point compared with
other municipalities. If the suburbs were
to be developed on the original city's mag
nficent lines, and entirely at the local tax
payers expenses. the result Of higher and
higher taxes and finally financial disaster
would clearly be inevitable
Notwithstanding this warning, repeated
by authorities and citizens. and demon
strated to be reliable by the balance sheets
of the District expenditures, Congress Went
ahead with it's work of multiplying the CEN
trail principle of the organic act by indirec-
ton, and laid the foundations for the crisis
now at hand.
1t is altogether proper that the federal
government should, as the Commissioners
now suggest, meet the emergency which its
legislators have created by violation Of the
legislative compact. and advance suf1-
Client out of its surplus revenues to
tide the national capital over its temporary
difficulties. This advance should not be
bound by conditions or placed upon an in
terest-bearing basis 1t should be loan in
the nature of partial compensation for a
great wrong. which nothing can remedy
short of the absolute repeal of the unjust
statutes now being enforced and still in
some cases under judicial scrutiny as to
their constituttonalty.
Should there be demur at this obviously
fair proposition of an advance from the
treasury II may console those opposed to
the project to reflect that by such trans
action the national government reinforces
its immunity from ever assuming it's proper
share of the street extension cost. The ad-
vance of this money, now necessary to per-
nit the District to maintain itself in de-
cent state Of administra ton, is made the
occasion Of a renewed and doubt-removng
declaration of the federal treasury's free
dom from all responsibility for the debts
which these street extension laws are pilng
up. Having created the embarrass ment, it
becomes the national government at least
TO come 10 the rescue of its despoled ward,
and To prevent a shameful collapse of its
financial system through the bungling and
outrageously unjust management Of its af-
fairs in this regard by its congressional
legislators.