Evening star., 1902-04-26
HALF AND HALF RATE
SENATOR STEWARDS RESOLU-
TON INTRODUCED TODAY.
To Ascertain if the Government Has
Paid Its Proportion Under
the Act of 1878.

Senator Stewart today introduced a reso-
luton in the Senate In order to learn
whether since 1878 the United States gov
ernment has paid one-half of the taxes of
the District of Columbia, according to the
half-and-ha principle embodied In the act
of that year. This Is purely resolution for
Information, rendered especially interesting
by the often repeated declaration by Chair
man Cannon of the House committee on
appropriations that improvements In the
District are to go ahead just as fast as the
District is able to pay half Of their expense
There are a good many people in the Dis
trict who resent this statement Of Mr.. Cam
non as being an intimation that the Dis
trict has not paid its half of the expense, as
agreed by the organic act, whereas they de-
clare the fact to be that the government is
the part of the team that has failed to keep
up in the race for municipal Improvement
by paying its own half. They recall Mr..
Cannons oft and clever saying that on the
half-and-half principle the District could
trot or run, just as II pleased, meaning that
the government would go slowly or rapidly.
accommodating it's speed to the speed of the
District.
What It Will Show.
Senator Stewards resolution introduced In
the Senate and adopted today is to show
whether the government or the District
has been ahead in the race since the enact
ment of the organic act Of 1878 Those
who have followed the course of municipal
appropriations are fully satisfied that the
result of this investigation will be to show
that the District has been constantly ahead
of the government in this matter, and tnat
Mr.. Cannon's declaration would have been
made more appropriately in its bearing
upon municipal expenditure had he ad-
nnonished Congress that municipal improve
ments would go ahead as rapidly as Con-
gress put up the proportion pledged by the
act of 1S7S-that the District had been
running in the financial race, while the
government had trotted, and that lamely.
The Resolution.
Senator Stewards resolution adopted by
the Senate today follows:
Resolved, That the committee on the Dis
trict of Columbia be, and is hereby, direct
ed to make an inquiry into the expenditures
and taxes within and for the District OF
Columbia since the system of taxation and
expenditures went into operation prescribed
by the act of June IL. 1873, which provided
for a permanent form Of government for
the District; and to ascertain the approprla-
tions made by Congress for the benefit of
the District in accordance with said act;
and said committee shall report whether or
not Congress has appropriated as required
BY said act the amount of fifty per centum
Of the sums necessary to defray the eX-
penses of the government of the District of
Columbia and If such sum has not been
fully appropriated, said committee Shall
state the amount which ought now to be
appropriated by Congress in order to make
up the said fifty per cent accruing between
the date of said act and December 81, 1901: :
and said committee is hereby further di-
rected to report any and all legislation
which may be necessary to carry out the
aforesaid provision of the act of June IL,
1878, binding Congress to appropriate said
amount of fifty per cent of the eXpendi-
lures leaving the remaining fifty per cent
to be levied upon the property in the Dis
trict otner than public property.