Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-24
DISCUSSES DISTRICTS NEEDS
NORWOOD ADDRESSES RANDLE
HIGHLANDS CITIZENS.
Separation Of Appropriations fol-
Current Expenses and Permanent
Improvements, His Theme.

District of Columbia in Congress was
sounded with force and logic before the
Randle Highlands and Twining City Citi-
zens' Association last night by Irving &.
Norwood of the staff of The Star.
Mr.. Norwood had been especially in
vited to speak on the subject of District
representation in the national legislature
| and the proposed separation of the ap-
preparations for current expenses and per-
manent improvements for the District.
The full membership of the association
turned out to greet him and hear his ar
guments. At the conclusion of his ad-
dress the organization rendered him a
vote of thanks.
Mr.. Norwood's Address.
During the past few years. Mr.. Nor
wood said. "a great deal has been said
and printed about the separation of the
appropriations for the permanent works
under the District government from those
for the current maintenance Of the mu-
nicipal administration.
Large corporations. business houses.
cities and sometimes even individuals are
| often compelled to expend more than they
are receiving annually in order to expand
what the District is doing.
Now. when a business house or a
large corporation or. outside of the Dis
trict Of Columbia, a city, is compelled
to spend more than 1t receives. 1t borrows
the money and gives notes Or issues
bonds binding 1t to the gradual repayment
of the loan with interest. BY this means
it Is enabled to take care of it's require
ments from month to month and year to
year without cramping and at the same
= @I~@ I'D
ceive the benefit promptly of the i'm
provements.
And that is exactly what the District
is asking Congress to do in the matter OF
these large permanent improvements.
Congress, however, has persisted in hold
ing the District to what 1t regards as a
cash payment system.
THAT Is, Congress says to the District,
You must pay as you go for all these
large works. for your grade crossing
elimination, your Union station plans.
your hospital and municipal building. and
your bridges and sewers. You must not
go into debt. You must take care of all
these things from month to month and
yet expand at the same time. But. re-
cognizing that your income isn't quite
sufficient to do all these things simultan-
eouSly, the United States will advance
you the money that is needed to make up
your half of the annual payments and you
must pay it back on a short term basis,
at . per cent interest
1T means that Congress is requiring
the District to pay cash for projects that
cost millions Of dollars. while at the same
time maintaining a municipal equipment
at the cost of several millions Of dollars
annually.
what is the result? The District is
perhaps paying as it goes for these great
works But in the meantime 1t is not
getting a properly equipped municipal
government.
You here. south of the .Anacostia for
instance. are not getting sufficient police
protection or fire protection or school
houses. You are not getting street ex-
tensions and roads and pavements. You
are not getting sewer connections. You
are not getting the benefit of an adequate
health Office inspection service or suffi-
cient guarantee against disease.
Representation in Congress.
On the matter of District representa-
ton in Congress. Mr.. Norwood said:
THE members Of the Senate and
House District committees have their own
constituencies to which they give their
first and best thoughts. and it is only
natural that this should be the case.
Particularly in the House is this condi-
ton of affairs manifest. Members dread,
actually dread, assignment to the Dis
trict committee.
There is hardly member of Con-
gress who will not admit, II he doesn t
proclaim. that the District should be rep
resented in Congress by two substantial
citizens whose sole duty it would be to
inform the House, and thereby the Con-
gress, on all matters of local interest,
whether legislative. administrative, finan-
cial or otherwise
THE average member Of Congress. al
though he is, ex officio, a member of the
common council of the District, knows
very little about us. When any matter
of particular Importance affecting this
community comes up the members of the
District committee are usually the only
ones to be informed on the subject. Even
they are not usually overburdened with
knowledge of the value to the District.
OF the other members of the House the
great majority do not know what is go