The Washington herald., 1912-01-14
BEN JOHNSON WRONG
ON DISTRICT HISTORY

cause of mistaken economy IN cutting
municipal appropriations to the bone.
Hon. Ben Johnson, of Kentucky, chair
man of the House District Committee,
resorts to misstatement of fact and dis
tortion of law and history to bolster
his argument for making Washington
cheap city. Mr.. Johnson appears to
be so completely obsessed with the idea
of getting nearly 100000 out of the
District budget that he is blinded to
the plain terms of the law by which
appropriations are made and the prac-
tice which has been followed since the
adoption of the organic act of 1873
Mr.. johnson said that the argument
that the United States should contrib
ute one-half to support 6,IIo acres
which originally made up the City of
Washington is an entirely different
proposition from giving one-half to the
support of the District of Columbia
containing nearly $1,000 acres
In the first place, the proposition that
the United States should contribute
one-half to the support of CLIO acres
which made up the original City of
Washington is not different from Civ
ing one-half TO support the $1,000 acres
of the District of Columbia, for the
very good reason that the law
which created the District of Column
bia, as a municipality wiped out that
distinction by revoking the charters Of
Washington and Georgetown and unit
ing them and the territory under the
Levy Court OF Washington County into
the District of Columbia.
By the terms of the act of 1873, which
set forth the half-and-half principle of
paying the expenses of the District, the
municipality was incorporated and the
statement was made in express Ian
guage that the United States and the in
corporated District should share equal
ly in the expenses of the government.
In point of fact. there is no City of
Washington, and Mr.. Johnson's CON
tention that any distinction can be made
in favor Of the original Clio acres of
the old city is fatty contradicted in law
and made impossible by practice under
that law for thirty-four years.
That was a fine and dramatic scene
on the floor OF the House when Rep
resentative Burleson sought to throw
the protecting shield of his eloquence
over the shoulders of his colleague and
smooth for him some of the harshness
of criticism by local newspapers Mr..
Johnson interrupted the speaker and
solemnly declared that he was able to
stand alone, and that he would ask no
member to make excuses for him or
his committee The Kentucky member
snorted defiance at the Washington
press, but it is not many days since he
read several newspaper clippings to a
reporter, selected with care from a
large collection of them which occupies
safe place in his private room.
So far from being impervious
thereto, Mr.. johnson really has a thin
and sensitive skin when hit by adverse
criticism. If proof is needed, his boyish
and uncalled for show of i'll temper to-
ward Representative Madden, of Illi-
nois, OIL the floor of the House is suffi-
cient. Here was a stalwart giant of the
Blue Grass State passing an invitation
TO member of the House less physi-
cally endowed to come outside and ell
gage in fist fight to settle differences
on point of order! Oh, no; Hon. Ben
Johnson, of Kentucky, is not touched
by the shaft of criticism!
Hon. Ben Johnson. who does not
scruple, in the sacred name of economy,
TO cripple a great city's finances by cut
ting out millions of dollars from a bud
get framed by its constituted author
tiles with painstsking care. and who
does not hesitate to distort fact and
juggie history to gain his point, is
brave statesman to be intrusted with the
well-being of the Capital City of the
nation. He is about as much in place
at the head of the District Committee
of the House as a hungry lion would
be in the guise of shepherd to spring
lambs. To be ignorant of the A B c
of District history is bad enough, but
TO pose as a disciple of economy by
robbing a municipality of its needed
revenues is worse.
But all the obloquy Ben johnson can
heap on the District of Columbia in his
mistaken plea for economy in municipal
expenses does not hit at the real mo-
tive which moves him and his col
leagues. The cat was let out of the
bag by remark which fell in the
course of the debate, that the speaker
heard no objection to the cut in Dis
trict expenses from the outside 1t is