Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-07
Violating the Compact.

The action of the House yesterday III
n,,s,ny without question the bills for street
extension ON the basis Of putting the whoie
cost on the District of Columbia cannot
possibly be accepted as a justification OIL
the District committees contention hat II
would be impossible to persuade the whoie
body to agree to the half-and-half principle
which the Senate had written into the piiis,
thus restoring the organic act TO is 1uii
vitality and application. The seven pllis
were passed virtually without debate, anu
almost without reading. Only one OF the
bills was read through, and that only arter
objection had been entered to the partiai
reading proposed. The only debate on the
measures. involving a good many Thousand
dollars, and-what Is far more important
a serious infraction of the partnership
agreement between the District and the
general government, was embraced IN the
following colloauy, which occurred just be-
fore the second bill. that for the extension
of wyoming avenue. was passed:
"Mr. Mann: Mr.. Speaker, may l ask the
gentleman a question?
"Mr. Mann: This Is practically a local i'm
provement ordinance, is 1t not?
Mr.. Babcock: 1t Is.
"Mr. Mann: That would be passed by q
city council anywhere else!
Mr.. Babcock: Yes.
Mr.. Mann: 1t is to be paid for by special
assessment?
"Mr. Babcock: 1t is a very trifiing mat
ter. the damages to be assessed as Dement'S
on the abutting property"
That was all. No explanation as to the
effect of the bill and Its six companions
upon the fiscal welfare of the District. No
.intimatIon that in passing this bill the
II1,.a mas daIIbarataIv Violating the SOL
emn pledge given in 1878 that the federal
government would meet every dollar OF
local tax money with a dollar of its own to
pay the expenses of developing and main
tanning the capital. No hint of the long
history of wrong legislation. and litigation.
and local sacrifice and embarrassment lead
ing up to the present deplorable condition
of the Districts treasury. No explanation
tina these bills, as presented to the House,
ran counter to the distinctly expressed
wishes of the people of Westinghouse all
Washington. and not merely those few who
will be Immediately benefited by the So
called improvements. No word of the fact
that a pronounced sentiment exists In the
District that 1t will be better to abandon
street extensions altogether as long as this
Ubiquitous whole-cost principle is ad-
hered to.
1t Is difficult to conceive of less Satisfac-
tory legislation for the District. or of legis-
lation more surely calculated to increase
the present complications. Had the mat
ter been threshed out and fully explained,
.in~telligently. with the issues carefully and
fairly stated. and the districts side of the
case presented. and had the House, in full
possession OF all the facts, then gone on
record as believing that the organic act
does not mean what the District people and
many legislators believe 1t means, then
there would have been at least the satisfac-
ton of having had a day In court with
proper consideration.
Five of these bills now go into conference,
with a vital issue between their Senate
and House forms. The people of the Dis
trict look to the Senate conferees to stand
steadfastly by their new and righteous posi-
ton with regard to the h~alf-and-half prin-
ciple. If. however. they do not, and the
bills are finally passed as the House pro-
poses, there will arise In emphatic demand
for their veto by the President on the
ground that they are in violation Of the
fundamental principle of capital MAIN
enance. The incidental advantages to be
derived from these betterments and the
question Of immediate cost sink into utter
insignifcance alongside the danger involved
IN this insidious assault upon the organic
act.