Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-15
The District Budget.

The House yesterday passed the District
appropriation bill, reduced even from the
low state in which it emerged from COM
mittee. 1t represents. in its present aspect,
the worst conceivable result of the now
prevalent policy of forcing the District to
pay on a semi-cash basis for its perma-
nent improvements, while waiting for
the current maintenance of the municipal
departments In proper terms The bill
as it goes to the Senate makes inadequate
provision for practically every branch of
the local administration. 1t leaves de-
ficiencies everywhere, in the schools, the
police, health and fire departments, the
sewer equipment, in paving funds, in
library facilities-in short, In each of the
lines of the city's organized activities for
the safeguarding of the people and their
education and advancement.
In two respects the House acted in
singular contrariety, with respect to the
prestige of committee report. AS the
bill was reported from tho appropriations
committee it carried provisions for the
establishment of municipal archi-
tect's" office, to solve the problems of
local official building, planning and con-
struction, which have been conspicuously
III eNlOSHCe VI ldle bSSpllc Tic SASCiiCit
reasons for this change of system, objec-
ton was raised that it was new legis-
lation" and the committees effort to take
an aforementioned short cut to a desir-
able end was thwarted. On the other
hand. an attempt to increase the appro-
priaton for public Fairgrounds was,
despite the opposition of the committee,
for a time successful. The House, in
committee of the whole, voted to raise the
allotment of funds from $1,JO0 to $1,000.
But one of the Jealous "watchdogS OF
| the Treasury insisted upon a separate
| vote in the House, and when the roll was
| called members trooped into the chamber
| in response to the summons of the bells
| and, hastily asking what was doing and
| learning that the COMMITTED" was fight
ing in the negative, voted mo- in suf'
| ficient numbers to defeat the increase, be-
| ing probably uniformed as to the argu.
ments employed during their absence.
| The Senate will now address itself to the
| task of local fiscal legislation. Everybody
always expects the upper house to add Il
| the District appropriation bill. 1t is {
standard reliance, at this stage of the
matter, although it is quite well under
| stood that the total will shrink to com
promise basis in conference. The Distric
people would like to see the Senate stant
| firmly and unyieldingly on the ground o
fair play for the local taxpayer. and insis
upon a separation of the current main
tenance and permanent improvement
items, to the end of permitting a NOR
equitable distribution of the local rev
enues and the discharge of development
obligations in the course of a conSiderabl
period. There is no insuperable difficult,
in the way. Representative Gardner tn
/ other day in the House reviewed tn
! situation in terms to indicate clearly tina
Congress can easily adopt this policy,
1t is willing to let the District pay TO
its large works as do all other cities, an
: as does any we'll managed business COZ
: poration.