Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-11
1885 and 1911.

II the spirit manifested by Senator
Southland of New Jersey. chairman Of
the Senate District committee in 1885,
had always animated Congress, before
and since that time, there would never
have been reason to apprehend injustice
on the part of the Districts constitu-
tionaIly designated legislature in it's
dealings with the National Capital. His
report to the Senate, submitted in 1885,
with relation to certain memorials that
had been received by Congress from citi-
zens of Washington and Georgetown laid
the foundations of the enactment OF
forty-three years later, whereby the
United States, in recognition of the facts
so strongly presented in that report,
undertook to bear half the burden of
local maintenance.
The conditions that Senator Southland
set before the Senate seventy-siX years
ago are unchanged today, save that the
District in its physical aspect shows the
signs of the benefit of federal participa-
ton in the local upkeep. The broad foun-
dations laid by the United States in it's
concept of capital creation remain as
they were in the beginning, with the
limitations imposed upon the District as
to industrial and commercial development
of the city and the increase in the val
ues here, the local taxpayers are no bet
ter able to support the national city in
the style which the United States has
set and which the people of the country
have come 10 expect and demand than
they were in the old days of utter neglect
and virtual local bankruptcy. Any re-
mission from the organic act agreement
init Cd Srofo
Iessening of the proportion of the federal
contribution to the cost of the Districts
upkeep. would be not only a hardship
upon the local taxpayers, but serious
setback in the development of Washing
ton as the city of all the American peO-
pie.
This question should be studied by Con-
gress in the present situation, not with
reference to how much money the Dis
trict can raise or how much money the
United States has paid in the past, or
how much the District owes. or what
part of its debt the federal government
has liquidated or how heavy the tax
burden is here compared with other cit
les. 1t should look back to the prime
facts that the District was created by
Congress that il failed utterly of decent
adequate development during the years
when Congress neglected it, and that only
since the United States has taken AMI
equal share of the burden of maintenance
has it been worthy of its place as the
seat of government. 1t will continue to
be the capital until time indefinite, and
it is folly to consider the possibility of
any change in the conditions which have
made it what it is today and what it
may be with the organic act continued
unchanged and fully respected and OBJ
served.
The Star hopes that the discussion OIL
this question which has been in progress
during the past week will have the re-
suit of rendering less likely any serious
attempt in the House of Representatives
next winter or in the near future to mod
ify in any degree the federal obligations
to the capital municipality under the or
ganic act. 1t trusts that the clear dem
onstration of a purpose to propose such
changes which has been given in the
form of interviews with responsible men,
bers of the House will have had the eff
ing any attack whatever upon the organic
act It's publications have been anima ted
solely by this desire. based upon the
assurance beyond the possibility of cues
ton that the design to propose the
amendment of the organic act was con-
terminated seriously by leading members
OF Congress.