Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-22
STREET EXTENSIONS
Inequity of Congress in Deal
ing With the District. -
BURDEN ON. TAXPAYERS
Suburban Capital Disseminated
Against Doubly.
NATIONAL PLAN TOO COSTLY
All Expense of New Streets First
Put on District and Now Three
Fourths of Improvement Cost. !
NATIONAL PLAN TOO COSTLY

Fourths of Improvement Cost.
The reduction of the national contribu-
| ton toward street improvement at THE
capital from 30 per cent to 25 per cent
in effect accomplished by the proposed
Borland amendment to the District ap-
preparation bill. brings into the Iimelight
the extraordinary nature Of Washington
street plan and the peculiar obligations
imposed upon the nation In respect to its
development, Improvement and mainte-
nance.
Washington's street extension plans, as
sanctioned by Congress. propose sub
stantially the reproduction in the county
OF the street plan of the original city.
The avenues seeking extension propose
TO suffer no material contraction, and if
all are carried through the belt of sub
urban subdivisions and connected with
the street plan provided by the amended
! highway act the scheme of streets of the
new Washington. while occupying a
somewhat smaller percentage of area in
thoroughfares. will be on the same broad
scale as that Of the original city.
| But the plan of Washington, as con-
/ SSisSd oS Jul Was OH q I'D
| tiona, not local scale, the broad streets,
avenues and alleys occupying more than
| one-half the entire area. The scheme
would have been absurd for a self-sup-
| porting, self-developing Maryland village
| of that day. Its extension at this time
to adjacent territory is equally absurd
as well as grossly unjust and unbearab y
| oppressive unless the nation stands in the
same relation to the enlarged as to the
original city.
There is obvious lack of equity. in
| any change by the nation of its estab-
hshed relation to the cost of street
development such as is proposed by the
| Borland amendment: and there is con-
splcuouS unfairness in such alteration
of relations to those taxpayers on uIr-
improved streets. who, having con-
tributed in taxes for years to the i'm
provement of other streets than their
own. now find themselves deprived of full
reciprocal contributions from the general
revenues for their own benefit.
The character and extent of this I'M
fairness and ineauity are suggested
by Theodore w. Noyes in Finances of
the National Capital Partnership in dis
cussing the kindred subject of the wise
and equitable apportionment of the cost
OF street extension, as follows:
Capitals Extraordinary Street Plan.
Inc expense OF the street system of
Washington is not to be endured unless
met by all the resources which combine
to make the National Capital worthy of
the nation If Congress will violate the
obligations incurred at the founding of
the federal District upon which the act
OF 1875 was based. and will say in leg
lslation concerning the extension of
single streets separately and success
sively that the nation has no financial
concern in the modern capital save in
the portion limited by the imaginary
line of Boundary street, then the
streets of the repudiated section must
be opened and improved on the basis
of cramped local resources, and not
on the national lines of the original
city. But if, on the other hand, Congress
wisely determines that the grand pur-
pose of the highway act shall be car
ried out and that the Greater Washing
ton of the coming century, for which
we moderns will be held responsible.
shall not discredit the nation when
compared with the city planned by the
forefatherS. then the violation of the
organic act involved in the extension
propositions must be vigorously dis
countenanced.
Consider for one moment Washing
toms original street plan of which the
use is suggested exclusively at private
expense for the extension OF the ma
tons city.
1t represents the hard bargain driven
with the original proprietors of the soil.
John Law, a prominent citizen. who came
| here at the city.s birth, charged, in 1890.
\ voicing general complaint. that the city
| had been made vast by the politicians
merely to crafty their cupidity and
tempt as many farmholders as possible to
| give up half their property. Even more
bitter complaints were made concerning
/ ha authenticated for streets and
nues. not merely one-half. but all of
| which was taken by the government with
out compensation. The property owners
donated one-half of the lots and all of
| the streets and avenues to the nation;
and the national representatives showed
| shrewd appreciation of the terms OF the
benefaction by setting apart as streets
| more than one-half of the total area OF
the city, 1906 acres out OF a total OF
gill, greater percentage of street sur
face than in any other city i'll the world
| Its vastness has been well pictured by
imagining street 100 feet wide extend
ing from Washington to New York, to
be graded. asphalted and supplied with
cutters, curbstones, sidewalks, drains
sewers, lamp posts and shade trees. AS
the Senate District committee said In its
report of 1885:
..The plan of the city was formed by
the public authorities: the dimensions OF
the streets determined by them wtthou,
interference by the inhabitants or regard
to their particular interest or conven-
fence. 1t is plan calculated for the
magnificent capital of a great nation, but
oppressive from its very dimensions and
arrangements to the inhabitants. IL its
execution to any considerable extent Ii
to be thrown upon them. No people who
anticipated the execution and subsequent
| support of il out of their own funds
would ever have dreamed of forming such
a plan. At that period neither the gov
eminent nor the proprietors contempiat
ed that the whole or even large pro
portion of the burden should be thrown
upon the inhabitants of the city. -
| The streets We're not only oppress1v,
from their size and extent in thei
Original formation. but they will from
the same cause continue to be an un
ending source of expense in their re
pair. They must annually cost nearl.
double the amount of streets of TIL
same length of moderate dimensions
The government which created this con
dition of things ought not be very deaf t,
the complaints OF those upon whom sucl
burden has fallen
Extension of the Street Plan.
The proposition now is to preserve mucl
of this magnificent street plan. the grand
est In the world, and to extend IL to :
considerable degree over the Distric
outside of Washington under a metho,
of extension In some respects more un
J justly oppressive to the inhabitants O
the federal District than the arrange