The Washington herald., 1913-02-07
Continued from First Page.

substitute for it, It was agreed that the
substitute be added to the bill as an
amendment. So when the reading of the
bill had concluded yesterday. Mr.. john
son offered a carefully phrased amend
ment, making it mandatory upon the
Secretary OF the Treasury to pay the
interest and sinking fund entirely out of
the revenues of the Treasury.
After quoting the clauses from the
acts of 1878 and 1879. which. in Mr.. John
sons opinion. required such a course in
the settlement of the District debt, the
substitute concluded:
For the purpose of meeting the pay
ment of interest and for the purpose OF
providing for said sinking fund. the sum
of S975. .4OS or as much thereof as may
be- necessary, is hereby appropriated
from the respective fund described In
the two acts of Congress above set oub
to be charged against the revenues OF
the District Of Columbia. derived from
taxes. levied and assessed upon taxable
property and privileges of the District
of Columbia for the fiscal year ending
June so 1914
Representative Burleson made a point
of order against this-substitute, and
lengthy debate ensqed, In which the en-
tire merits of the argument again were
thrashed out, and during which Repre-
sentative Hayes of California appeared
as the champion Of the District. to set
straight a number of the misrepresenta-
tions derogatory TO the District, in which
the debate on the District bill has
abounded, and to critIcise the District
Committee severely for the neglectful
attitude which that committee had as
sumed toward the District during this
Congress. Chairman Roddenbery over
ruled the point of order. thereby re-
1sW,er
day in order to sustain his ruling of
Tuesday.
Outcome Is Compromise.
When Mr.. Burleson offered his substI-
tute for the johnson amendment, John
son announced that. though he would
much prefer his amendment. which in
wolves a Congressional construction Of
the legislative acts authorizing the fund
ing of the District debt and the liqui-
dation thereof, he would be most emf
nently pleased by getting" either his
amendment or the Burleson substitute.
When the vote came on the Burleson
amendment, Mr. johnson voted against
it, hut did not strongly urge his friends
to do so. AS a result, il was adopted
on n call for tellers by 81 to IS.
The final outcome Of the fight, as far
as the House is concerned, is in the
both Burleson and Johnson without in
any great measure affecting the District
Chairman Johnson. in stating that he
would be glad TO have the high legal
officers of the administration pass on
the Interpretation of the laws involved,
announced further that IL the interprc-
tation was not satisfactory another and
satisfactory construction could he made
mandatory by a bill at the next session
OF Congress. thus indicating that he
would not be willing to have the courts
pass upon it, but would again bring il
up in the House in the event that the
Interpretation handed down by the Comp
troller and the Attorney General is not
satisfactory.
Mr.. Burleson is tho victor in that the
revolutionary Johnson amendment is not
contained in this bill. The District
neither wins nor loses as far as the i'm
mediate future is concerned. II the
Johnson amendment had carried it
would have been knocked out in the Sem
ate, its substitute sustained in confer
ence, and never reached the White
House. And it is safe TO assume that
there will not be a great many more
District appropriation bills in the near
future unless the present temper of Con-
gress changes materially. And It is still
safer to assume that. in the event of an
adverse ruling from the Comptroller
the House will repeat its action of Tues
8.ay on the next appropriation bill. II. in
deed, it does not put through a special
act constituting the law during the extra
session.
The decision of the Comptroller must
be handed down on or before June 80
next, after which day the funds appro-
priated in the bill become available.
4 second victory for the District dur
ing yesterdays reading of the bill was
on the item apprOpriating $3.50 for the
municipal bathing beach. to be appro-
rTiated for on the half-and-half prin-
ciple, was allowed to remain in the bill