Evening star., 1913-02-06
Mann and Burke Champion
HaIf-and-HaIf System.
CITE PROMISES OF U. S.
Declared That Government Should
Stick to Its Bargain.
ARE UPHELD BY THE HOUSE
Johnson Loses Fight to Saddle En-
tire Expense Of Bathing Beach
Upon the District

Defense of the organic act and friendly
words for the half -and-half principle
marked the last minutes of the District
appropriation bill. which probably will be
passed by the House this afternoon. Rep
resentative Mann of Illinois and Repre-
sentative Burke of Pennsylvania took up
arms in defense Of the government prom
ise to pay one-half of the Districts eX:
penses
Representative BurIeson endeavored to
get into the bill d paragraph appropria'
ing S2S14 for the purchase of land to
make approaches for a new bridge. He
wanted this to be paid entirely by the
District revenue. Representative Mann
succeeded in keeping this out of the bill.
and made a little speech in behalf of the
half f-andhalf principle.
Representative johnson. who knocked
out the bathing beach entirely. offered to
replace the item provided the District
should pay the entire expenses Repre-
sentative Burke of Pennsylvania opposed
Mr.. Johnson.
BY vote of 30 to ~ the House in COM
mittee of the whole upheld the half-and-
half principle and reinstated the bathing
beach to be paid for as provided for all
District expenses in the organic act.
johnson Amendment.
Representative johnson offered an
amendment affecting the sinking fund
AMI interest. He proposed TO write into
the bill paragraph to appropriate from
the District of Columbia revenues only
the money to pay the interest on the
bonds. and to arrange for the annual
payments under Mr.. JOhnsons theory
that the United States should not bear
any of the expense.
T0hp ha 8
the proposed amendment and because
other members wanted to have a chance
to study 1T the amendment was set aside
for the time being. Mr.. Johnson termed
the delay IAN unprecedented one" and
sent his amendment out to be copied.
The water department estimates of
S126,5SJ were approved without a single
objection.
Mr.. Johnson made a peculiar point of
order against the last section in the bill
reading:
That all laws and parts of laws to the
extent that they are inconsistent with
this act are repealed.
He said this was legislation that had no
place in an appropriation act. Repre-
sentative Bureson said the paragraph
is subject to a point of order, although
it Is a paragraph carried in all appro-
priation bills. Chairman Roddenbery up
held Mr.. johnson.
For Bridge Approaches.
Mr. Burleson offered an amendment that
would make the District of Columbia pay
S2.S14 out of its revenues for the ap-
proaches to the proposed new bridge
across Rock creek on the lines of Penn
sylvania avenue. Before Representative
Johnson knocked it out several days ago
the paragraph directed the chief of en-
glneers. L. s. A., to transfer the land
free to the District.
Representative Mann of fllinois said
that the BurleSOn amendment today was
violating the hall 7and-half princ ciple.,aJ
I'm not willing to stand by any At
tempt to put on the District of Columbia
the entire cost of anything n-.this bill
and make a point of order against it,
Representative Burleson said the ap-
proach is necessary to the bridge, and
ought to be authorized.
Admitting that" said Mr.. Mann. cit
is important that the government keep
its promise. We need many things in
the District of Columbia. 1 think il is
to the interest of the government to
maintain control here at half-and-half
principle. Without the governments
aid the city would not be respectable
to live in and We ought to stick to the
half-and-half plan."
Mann Is Sustained
Mr.. Mann was sustained by the chair
man. and Representative BurIeson's
proposition waI ruled out
Representative Burleson returned to the
appropriations for the assessors office.
where $500 additional is recommended for
the assessor as chairman of the excise
and personal tax boards. Representative
Johnson had reserved a point of order
on 1t and today made the point and was
sustained. The $500 went out
Representative Mondell of Wyoming
asked that the paragraph of the bill
changing the designation of two blocks
on Goth street northwest be restored.
The first block was to be called Park
road and the other Walbridge place. The
paragraph was to correct an error. but
Representative Johnson made a point OF
order. Today he withdrew it.
Representative Dyer of Missouri offered
again his amendment to place the Tuber-
culosis Hospital under the control of the
health department. Representative Burle-
son prevented this by point of order.
For Bathing Beach.
Representative johnson offered an
amendment which will reinstate the
bathing beach. knocked out by him a few
days ago. He proposed to have 1t sup
ported by the District Of Columbia only.
Points OF order were made by Repre-
sentative Mann.
He said there Is no law authorizing the
bathing beach to be sustained wholly out
OF the revenues of the District of CO.
lumbia-
In making a ruling Chairman Rodden-
berry read from the Record of the Fifty
first Congress where the bill authorizing O
the beach was being discussed. In that
bill the original idea was for the federal
government to pay all the expenses, but
1t was amended to follow the half-and-
half plan.
History of Bathing Given.
1t became evident in Mr.. Roddenbery's
long ruling that the statesmen of the
Fifty-first Congress had gone back in
their debate to the earliest days of the
history of bathing, for he quoted from
some statesman who has long since been
forgotten. and who made an address
against the establishment of bathing
beach. to the effect that the Roman en-
pire had fallen to pieces when its people
began to bathe too freely.
However. Mr.. Roddenbery ruled that
Mr.. JohnsOn's amendment was in order
and that the District should paw the
bathing beach expense without contribu-
ton from the United States. Represent
ative Burleson tried to knock out, the
amendment, but he did not prevail
Representative Burke of Pennsylyania