Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-19
ALLEY PLAN FOUGHT
Taxpayers Bearing Entire Cru
SADIE Cost Opposed.
Mr.. CLAYTON'S ARGUMENT
Appears as Champion of Half-and-
Half Principle of Expenses.
QUERIES BY COMMISSIONERS
Representatives of Monday Evening
Club Also Present Their View
of the Matter.
Mr.. CLAYTON'S ARGUMENT
QUERIES BY COMMISSIONERS

Oh the matter.
AS champion Of the half and half prin-
ciple of expenditures in the District gov
eminent. and upholding the spirit Of the
partnership between the federal govern
ment and the District of Columbia. Will
liam Nick. Clayton. president of the Fed
GRAFTON of Citizens Associations, appeared
before the District Commissioners today
to combat the proposition put forward
by representative Of the Monday Even
ing Club to eliminate the bad conditions
in certain alleys py making the District
taxpayers bear the whole cost Of the
general crusade.
The Monday Evening Clubs argument
was presented by DIR. Thomas J. Jones
and Frederick l.. Siddons, and consisted
of word picture Of housing conditions
In some Of the allays and the presenta-
ton of the proposition that the cost of
converting the alleys into minor streets
and the cleaning up of certain admitted
~ bad social pest holes be assessed
against property owners 4
The method of assessment. however, is
the rock on which the club and the fed
era ton splits. The club wants to spread
the cost over any area at all, not con-
f1ning the cost to the closely adjacent
property owners. The club is willing that
the adjacent property owners should be
| assessed one-fourth. however.
In opposition to this Mr.. Clayton spoke
at length and took occasion to speak a
word on the subject to a member of the
House District committee, Representative
Henry George, who was present at the
hearing.
Cost at Least 100000.
The proposition" said Mr. Clayton,
is to ask the general taxpayer to pay
for their benefits. | come here as a rep
resentative of a federation which repre-
sents thousands of taxpayers in every
part of the city This proposition to
make the alleys into streets. or TO make
the changes advocated will cost two or
three million dollars. We do not want
to be misunderstood. for we are all of
US anxious and willing to see the bad
spots IN the capital made clean and beau
tiful But we no not want to see the
half-and-half principle broken down. If
you gentlemen succeed in departing from
this great principle of our partnership
then you will have paved the way for
all sorts OF propositions which will spring
up like mushrooms and be heard in COM
mittee rooms and in Congress itself, and
which will saddle the District with in
Vulnerable burdens. all to be borne alone.
We want to see the alleys made safe
to live in. socially, morally and
physically. but we see no reason why
the general appropriation bill should
not bear the cost. We have enough
money here to do 1t. if we could be al
and half that we we're not allowed
10 spend And | beg to call your at
tention to the fact that the appropri-
alton bill which becomes effective July
carries with ii an item of $4,000
to make an interior park and play
ground out of one Of these bad alleys
and ! want to impress you with the
fact that there is the self-same PROPOSE
ton in a single item. of course, but
being paid for half and half, in &C
cordance with the terms of the partner
ship between the nation and this city.
Would Wipe Out Homes.
There is such thing, too, as con-
structive and destructive criticism the
proposition put forward this morning
aims at wiping out many homes But
1t offers solution Of where to put
the people who are turned out Of the
alleys, These people live In these alleys
for two reasons: First, because it is
extremely cheap. and second. because
they can live near their work. This
movement reminds me Of the boy in
Bleak House. who was eternally NOV
ing on, and moving on. You tell these
people to move on, and give them no
place to go. The Commissioners of
the District should consider the wishes
of the submerged tenth
Another reason why this general as
sessment proposition would be distaste-
full TO the taxpayers here is that every
year large areas are withdrawn from tax
alton Within the last two years six
million dollars worth of property has
been taken out of the possibility of ever
again contributing to the support of the
District"
There was a general discussion at this
point. Commissioner Judson asked Mr.
Siddons whether he. Mr.. Siddons did not
believe that the taxpayers of the District
would not generally favor any proposition
where they paid only half, as against a
scheme where they paid all. Mr.. Siddons
replied that in the case of the alleys and
lieved the taxpayers would rather pay
for the work than have 1t lag any longer.
Wishes of Majority.
Mr.. Clayton then continued:
1T has come to this question: Whether
or not the Commissioners are to appear
before the committees of Congress, repre-
senting the wishes of the majority of the
taxpayers of the District. or not. The
federation believes that the Commission
ers should not take to Congress any prop
osition which tho majority of taxpayers
disapprove of. because in that case we
then have to appear before the commit
tees and combat the Commissioners
Commissioner Johnston asked a queS-
ton:
How many partners in this agree
ment?''
1.-Two. the federal government and the
District of Columbia
Then do you not think continued
the Commissioner. that the board of
Commissioners is in duty bound 10 re-
spect the wishes Of both partners?
II is possible that the federation and
the Monday Evening Club may get to-
gether on the proposition of cleaning up
alleys and making minor streets Of some
of them, and this was suggested to those
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