Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-25
Police and Firemen's Pensions.

Washington Is to urge upon Congress
adequate and permanent provision FOR
police and fremen's pensions. The Wis
dom and necessity of this provision are
10 be demonstrated earnestly, forcibiy.
concIusively.
Incidentally, but necessarily, Washing
Ton must propose the wisest method OF
making this adequate and permanent pro-
vision. 1t cannot stultify itself to It's
injury by indorsing an existing violation
of the organic act and asking for its en-
1argement, and its recognition as per-
manent.
The use of Police Court fines as part OF
the pension fund tends to encourage
trivial time-wasting arrests and to reduce
the efficiency Of the force as protectors OF
the pubic in preventing or Furnishing
crime. The use of license proceeds or
other items of District revenue to meet
on the whole-cost basis any proper mu-
nicipal expense Oike that OF salaries or
pensions for police or firemen) Is grossly
extrava giant, each dollar OF such expendl-
ture representing a loss OF two dollars
from the Districts revenues under the
organic act
This is the worst of all times for Wash
instonians to suggest or even to connive
at infrineements of the organic act The
danger threatening the half-and-half ar
ranCement Is today more in us and IN
our agents and representatives. the Com
missioners, than In Congress ITSELF In
the years that are past there was battle
every session over the proposition. ear
nestly pushed, to destroy the half-and-half
Arrangement entirely or to reduce the
percentage of national contribution. With
development of better understanding OF
the facts concerning the relations or
nation and capital and with growth OF
regard for and pride In the nations city.
systematic campaigns in Congress against
the organic act came to an end. or
late years the violations Of the principle
of the organic act have affected only
minor items. involving small pecuniary
injury, and in every case. perhaps, some
of us Washingtonians have subjected our
selves justly to the reproach OF CONN.,
vance or at least contributory negligence
Suburban street extension was finally In
effect removed from the application OF
the organic act because the suburban
property owner, while strong for the Or
ganic act as a whole and in the abstract.
assented to it's violation as an exception
I'm the case of his particular street.
Gradually these exceptions became the
firmly established rule. Only. 1t is said.
through a misunderstanding of supposed
local assent was the original Fairgrounds
appropriation on the whole-cOst basis
passed by the House.
The presidents all warn us that we
cannot afford now to ask that our license
dollars be spent as half-dollars. perma-
nently and in an indefinite amount on
police and firemen's pensions or on any
other proper municipal expense We are
in this matter to fight with all our might
to secure the right thing in the right
way. If Congress gives us the right thing
in the wrong way the respons. bility for
the part that is wrong must not fall upon
our Commissioners or ourselves.
We have been told mot by Congress)
that the organic act is doomed. and that
our wisest policy is to accept the in
evitable, and to take the initiative In
proposing to Congress what we would
like in place of the half-and-hal arrange
ment. 1t is as If Washington were mott
fed that financial death would be infiict-
ed upon it next winter, and IL were
asked to indicate by petition to Congress
whether 1t preferred to be hanged or
electrocuted. or gradually dismembered,
and what funeral disposition it wished
for the re mains.
If Commissioners, citizens associations
and citizens individually cooperate 10y
ally in defense of Washington as they
have done in similar emergencies in the
past there will be no execution, no fu-
neral and no need to devise and urge
upon Congress a substitute for the or
ganic act. But in order to prevail upon
Congress to preserve intact the half-and-
half arrangement as a fair compromise
of conflicting equities between partners
for more than a century we must our
selves present a united front, and we
must not. either individually or in our
organizations or through our Commits
sioners. surrender or compromise our case
away by weakness or cowardice or self
ish lack Of loyalty in the preliminary