Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-18
The Vital Principle.

The District appropriation Dill is no" ia
process of formulation, In the hands OF the
House subcommittee charged with us prep
aratien The Commissioners have explained
their estimates and delivered their argu-
ments In behalf of full appropriations Tor
current needs, as well as permanent works,
and a definite, businesslike system OF red
eral advances based upon specific refund
ing long term of years ahead. Represen-
tatives of branches of the District govern
ment have appeared before the subcommit-
tee to explain the needs of the establish
ments under their charge. and citizens have
entered pleas for improvements The mem
bers of the House intrusted with this budget
lack no information on the score of the Dis
trct's requirements and wishes.
In few days the question will be an
swered. as far as the House committee is
concerned as to the manner In which the
federal capital is to be treated during the
ensuing fiscal year. This bill, as 1t energies
from committee, will either hold the District
down to the hand-to-mouth method which
has heretofore prevailed in the manage
ment of it's finances. or it will give the capt.
tai at last fair start on the execution of
its permanent improvements without Grip
plng the administration meanwhile, or i'm
posing an unjust burden On the taxpayers.
The total of the estimates has appalled,
some of the members of Congress who have
not fully studied the apparently intricate
but actually simple question of District
finances. They cannot understand such
seeming extravaganza. They point to the
cost of this or that city of approximately
the same size and declare that Washington
IS amazingly expensive. They forget that
Washington has never yet, in all its history,
caught up with it's requirements. 1t has
never had a full equipment of schools, of
policemen, of firemen. of inspectors for the
various services which closely affect the
public health, safety and comfort. 1t has
never had quite sufficient force of admin
strative clerks. 1t has been cramped in
some respects every year since it began,
and many years have found it suffering
from insufficient accommodations and pro-
visions and facilities in every department.
During all the years of this Stinting of
supplies the capitals federal phase has been
only partially developed. but of late years
remarkable and gratifying stimulus has
been felt in this respect. Washington has
gone forward In the esteem of the country
at large, it's character as the nations city
has been realized. and demand has arisen
and is in part being met to place this mu-
nicipality upon the proper plane Of federal
Importance and dignity and beauty. The
city's own share Of this work costs heavily.
The taxpayers are willing to bear their
proper share, but they do not feel that they
should be required to stand the burden of
current maintenance and all of that of the
permanent improvements at once. They
want to see the great works go on, but they
do not wish to have the old slipshod method
of partial provision for the running ex-
penses continued indefinitely.
Therefore. say the taxpayers of today. the
budget should be made big enough to carry
on the permanent works and to bring the
city as closely as may be at one leap to it's
real needs for current maintenance. And
the cost of this final step to the line of the
Districts legitimate and proper demands
should be so financed that the ordinary rev.
enues of the community will suffice in the
course of fairly long term of years to meet
it, principal and interest, without imposing
the bulk of the burden ON the shoulders of
the taxpayers of these few years of the
immediate construction.
The principle involved in this contention
by the Commissioners is vital. 1t underlies
the security of all business institutions and
the prosperity of all ordinary communities.
1t should be adopted here for all time in
this hill