Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-22
ATTACK ON DISTRICT
Chairman Johnson Grows Sar-
castle in House Speech.
SCHOOLS UNDER HIS LASH
Proposes to Stand Against Raids on
the Treasury.
SAYS CAPITAL FARES WELL
Declares It Has Received All It Is
Entitled to Under the Law,
and Then Some.
SCHOOLS UNDER HIS LASH
SAYS CAPITAL FARES WELL

District of Columbia, its people and the
| attempts that are made to secure in
| creased appropriations. was the feature
of today's consideration by the House OF
the District of Columbia approximation
bill. =
This under the rules was really Dis
trict day. set aside for the considera-
ton of business reported from the
House committee on the District OF
Columbia. But Chairman Johnson
calling attention to the fact that there
were five Mondays in the present
month, and that an arrangement could
be made whereby District business
would not suffer, suggested that con-
sideration of the appropriation meas
ure be continued today and business
| from the District committee taken up
next Monday instead. This was agreed
to-
Sarcastic Over System.
With satirical emphasis. Mr.. Johnson
attacked the school system for such in
novations as greenhouses, cooking
schools, millinery courses and sewing
schools.
Not only do they teach music in the
Il
son. but they have self-playing pianos
or pianolas, put in and paid for by my
and your accordion constituents. IL
takes no more skill in teaching to play
pianola than it does to turn grind
| ing organ
Mr. johnson said he was willing to lay
| a bet that If Senator Bob Taylor
wanted to hang up his violin am t.
learn piano playing instead he is stli
within the age limit of the Washington
| n,l,lic schools With continued Sar-
| casm he continued:
| Under the tightwad school system
| which the federal government imposes
1 on the District the pupils also have cook
ing schools. The pupils are taught to
| buy the food that they cook, Just as
housewives do. and it is presumed the
storekeepers charge for the lessons. They
serve five and six course dinners. ;.
| II saw menu that had ice cream on II,
| and when 1 asked the colored teacher IL
/ he had made or bought it. he said 1t mao
| been bought frozen, but he could not tell
| the amount of teaching required to eat
4 ii.
| But that is of little moment to our
| constituents" said Johnson. "All they
| have to do is to work sixteen hours out
| Of the twenty-four hours day TO help
pay for 1t all.
Wide Range of Ages.
| In similar vein Mr.. johnson went
down the line paying his respects to
| the sewing schools, the millinery
| schools and the dental work done in
the school system of Washington. The
| dental patients. he said. range from
six years to sixty-six years.
| Referring to the application of the Dis
| trict for two new buildings at a cost OF
81 80 900. Mr.. Johnson repease dly de-
| clared that he was called incompetent be
| cause he proposed to stand between the
| people and the raids which the District
| wanted to make on the federal treasury
| Representative Johnson quoted from an
| editorial in The Evening Star of January
II. in which the District was compared
to a boy who had Outgrown his clothes
and the federal government to parent
who refused to take cogniZance of this
growth and kept the lad In shorvbreeches
and tight fitting coat and nat.
/ Uncle Sam has been wearing the same
| hat ever since he began to sink money
in this bottomless pit right here in the
| District" said Representative Johnson
| THE leg of Uncle Sam has been pulled
| SO long by the District that he does moi
| need but one leg to his trousers. Wha
has been denied the District? Nothing
| within the law. The District has been
given everything to which it Is entitled
under the law, and then some.
Action on Funded Debt.
/ Coming to the items of interest and
sinking fund, Mr.. johnson declared that
the law does not require their paymen,
on the half and half basis. He contended
that when the Secretary OF the Treas.
ury has advanced the interest it shall
afterward be returned TO the Treasury
out of District funds.
His contention was that the bill
makes a definite appropriation for in
terest, although no man knows no"
much that sum may be, and he wanted
the bill merely to quote the Language
Of the statutes requiring the secretary
of the Treasury to meet the opngations
and credit it to the appropriations
made by the United States for the
fiscal year.
Mr.. Johnson then proceeded to tech
meal discussion of District finances ad-
vancing his ideas of the construction
and the payment of interest ana prln-
cipal He declared that the treasurer
of the United States. without authority
of law, but contrary to law mas pau pau
out more than $SOo,VVV els Pi -
the 3.65 bonds. !;
the chair. suggested that the cnalr coulo
not rule upon administration OF tne Ia"
but could only decide wnether 'he ap
| propriation can DE made.
Mr. Johnson insisted that the statutes
IN which he referred should be moor
norated in the BILL and that the secretary
| Of the Treasury could then ask the opln
ion of the Attorney General OF the United
states or else take the matter to the
courts. .
You as Judge sitting In this case,
| said Mr. Johnson, have no reason 70
write into this bill another man con
struction Of the law. l am ASKING that
these statutes be written into the bill
so that those men at the treasury De-
partnent cannot say that they nave Slvef
TO the law the construction that the Dis
trict Commissioners nave gwen y. Inc
legal department of the United states
government should interpret the law"
| Defense Of the Bill.
Representative Burleson Of Texas. il
charge Of the bill. insisted on behalf O
the appropriation committee that tn
items Of interest and sinking fund ar,
properly carried in the bill. He cite.
various acts Of Congress in support o
his contention, under which the appro
| priation was carried Tor years as !
nEor thirty years. said MIR. Burleson
"the Congress has acquiesced In Thu
construction and the federal government
ia now estopped from upsetting that con
tention. -
REPRESENTATIVE Saunders of Virginia,
member Of the subcommittee which pre-
pared the bill, followed Mr.. Burleson II
upholding the appropriation for interes
and sinking fund as II appears In the bill