Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-26
The Senate's Task.

Proceeding perhaps on the theory that,
,, hayings been cut already almost out of
: recognition, the District budget would
. stand a little more slicing the House has
passed the appropra ton bill with still
" further reduction of $lS904o from the Com
missioners' estimates. 1t now carries
= total. exclusive of the water department. of
So 2O5 $685. or s3.2l2 sos 65 less than the esti-
mates. $s53,173 less than the bill which
.7tcame from the House committee a year
ago, and s1,6s2, 1856 less than the present
law.
According to the theory of compromises
NJ which obtains In all adjustments in confer
tt'enee. if the Senate should now merely re-
store the figures of the current law by add
Il ing 81, 6S2. 1856 and the House insists upon
i, approximately a 80 per cent reduction of
the Increases the new law would carry
SS41 0GS less than the current appropria-
: tion. Yet that would be substantial addi-
Il ton to the measure in the Senate. while
the net result would be wholly inadequate.
In order to bring the net total up to the
=. point of the current law the Senate. on the
:" 30 observation-disclosures basis, would need
.. to add no less than $3S64 ,2T2 to the budget.
b Yet this addition If made. and accepted in
Its entirety by the House. would only bring
the bill a fraction above the Commission
fed by the actual necessities of the District
= today. --iT
1t is necessary to study these figures in
order to appreciate the responsibility which
G the House. in its spasm of mistaken econ
81 omy, has shifted upon the Senate a re-
sponsibiity which the District fully expects
that body to assume and to discharge.
During the past few years the House has
acted much more wisely and literally to-
ward the District and fairly toward the
Senate in this respect. 1t has written sew
eral appropriation bills which. whatever
their inadequacy of terms for the funding
of the Districts Indebtedness. have carried
reasonably large totals. But this year the
House has abandoned it's previously pur-
sued policy and has set out upon program
of curtailment which can have only one of
two results. Either the Senate will be
beaten down in conference and the District
will suffer a shrinkage of provision for the
current maintenance and an insufficient
provision for the permanent works or else
the House, yielding reluctantly at the last
moment, will loudly contend that the Sem
ate is extravagant and the District rapaci-
Gus at the expense of the general govern
ment.
The District is not much concerned in
disputes between the houses as to which
Is extravagant and which parsimonious. It
is willing TO suffer little more calling of
names to its discredit IL only 1t can obtain
that which it urgently needs 1t has been
abused roundly In the past and 1t will con-
tinue to be abused In the future by Him
formed or malicious legislators bent upon
making records for economy and watehful-
ness. 1t does, however, want to progress, to
be allowed to spend its tax money and the
federal equivalent to the best advantage
and according to business principles. 1t
wants to maintain high municipal stand
ard in the matter of schools, fire and police
departments, and the miscellaneous items
of District housekeeping. while it is provid
ing on a proper scale for the future III the
way of sewers, bridges and it's municipal
building. 1t contends that it should not be
compelled to cut down its current expenses,
"erppling its administrative departments, in
order approximately to pay on a cash basis
for the permanent great works.
1t looks now to the Senate to restore to
the bill those items which have been cut
out with a short-sighted notion of econo-
mixing 1t asks';that, the total appropria-
ton be measured not by the available reve-
nues after the payments to the federal gov
eminent and on the railroad work have
been met but by the revenues computed
on the basis of a fairly Iong-term period of
repayment of these advances and large in
yestments. And when the Senate has made
its amendments to the bill. bringing It's total
up to a reasonable figure. the adjustment in
conference should not be with reference to
what the bill was when it passed the
House. but what It should have been at
that stage.