Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-08
The Organic Act.


approve of said estimates, Congress shall
appropriate the amount of 10 per centum
thereof, and the remaining ~ per centuhi
OF such approved estimates shall be levied
and assessed upon the taxable property
and privileges in said District other than
the property of the United States and of
the District of Columbia
That is the organic act" the act of
June H. 1878. 1t is the partnership
agreement between the District and the
federal government, the contract of finan-
cial alliance for the proper maintenance
of the National Capital. Partaking of
the essential character of a contract. 1t
was equitable in its conception. There
were 10 be mutual benefits and response
bilitieS Each side was to pay half the
cost of the upkeep of the District Uncle
Sam and the local taxpayer. Uncle Sam
was to have the advantage of assistance
in the development and maintenance OF a
capital city which he had for his own
purposes created out of the wilderness,
which he had projected upon a mag
nificent scale and had for many years
neglected. The Washingtonian, long bur-
dened in the struggle TO keep up ma
tional capital municipality on his own
slender resources. threatened from time
to time with total extinction by the
would-be capital movers and prevented
by federal restrictions from developing
a commercial and industrial city, was to
be relieved of the federal share of the
capital cost.
But there the mutually ended. con-
gress reserved the right to amend. al
ter or repeal the statute. while the Dis
trict could never change a line in il. or
effectively protest against any infraction
OF il by the federal partner. Such in
fractions have been committed. some
gross viola tons of the half-and-half prin-
ciple, such as the imposition of the whole
cost of street extension upon the Dis
trict. and some trifiing in the amount in
VOWED but serious in the betrayal of the
local trust, such as charging all the cost
OF public playground maintenance upon
the local tax revenues. BY the exercise
of its Constitution given power of "ex-
elusive Jurisdiction Congress could re-
peal the organic act for any specific pur-
pose of mulcting the District I'D still
allow il to remain in force for its own
purpose of adding half-and-half charges
TO the account, such the requirement
that the District bear half the cost of
maintaining the federal courts in this
jurisdiction.
Now the time comes. say some in
fuentiaI and powerful members of Con-
gresS, 10 make certain changes in the
contract. The District will not be con-
suited No question will be submitted
to its decision. A floating debt paid.
and the District will have more money
than Congress thinks it ought 10 be
permitted to put into the partnership on
the old terms. 1t is TO be made either
TO put in more than half or it is to turn
every penny it can rake and scrape to-
gether over to the government partner
and depend for its annual allowance for
the necessities of life upon the fluctuating
generosity or parsmony of the appro-
priating power.
That is the present prospect Denials
that it is in sight are heard. Those who
point it out are scored as alarmists and
Charlatans The soft kind words of
tenderness for the capital of the federal
managers of the partnership finances are
needed while their grim declaration that
readjustment must be made in, say,
three years-perhaps sooner-is ignored.
The Star wants the country at large to
know what the organic act is why it
was written, what ii has done for Wash
nston and for the nation, why IL is i'm
possible to keep up the capital municipal
ity on the national scale save on its un-
amended terms. and what will be the
effect of any ''readjustment' that
throws on the local taxpayer more than
half of the cost of keeping up this Dis
trict. Ii wants the people of the states
to realize that this danger, so plainly
stated by Representatives Burleson and
Sims, menaces the development of the
seat of government. 1t believes that the
amendment of the act can be prevented
through open, free discussion reaching
out 10 the intelligent people of the con-
gressional districts. Silence and self
deludinc denials are the best weapons of
the enemies of the organic act. Publicity
is the most effective agency to confound
and thwart them.