The Washington times., 1913-12-21
NATIONWIDE BODIES
T0PROTECT CAPITAL
American Civic Association and
Chamber of Commerce
Pledge Aid.
Continued from First Page


a member of its board of directors.
said it was reasonably certain that
the delegate of the local chamber to
the national chamber would be the one
to take such a step.
Were the matter one which con-
Cerncd the government of some muuic-
iDality or State ii could not properly
cun1e before the national chamber" said
Mr. Goodwin. "But anything that af-
fects the National Capital is admittedly
a different matter and ii is quite possi-
take up the half-and-half proposition"
Mr.. GUIDE said that as an officer of
the Washington Chamber OF Com
Il1erce he had already considered the
edvisabiiity of en-isting the national
chamber in the present campaign,
which will be well under way at the
time of the convention.
II cannot pledge ;he local chamber,
but 1 wi:i say that should consider
that any Washington delegate to the
national convention who fails to bring
III this matter would not have per-
formed his full duty said Mr.. GUIDE.
anything so near to the welfare of the
Government as the good or i'll of its
capitel is a tit subject for eevry citizen
end national body of any nature to
consider
A letter from j. H Mcfarland, presi-
dent of the American Civic Association,
in reply to one sent him by Secretary
Watrous, Of this city, was the first in
formation that that association was
prepared to interest the nation at large
in the half-and-haf measure. Thou
sands of individuals and several hun
dred local organizations in every part
OF the country are affiliated with the
association.
A Stirring Letter.
This letter, which makes plain the at
titude of the association, is dated at
Harrisburg. Pa, the home of Mr.. Nc
Farland, and reads as follows:
Dear Mr.. watrous: learned with
astonishment of the proposition in
the present Congress to further bur-
den the city of Washington by de-
tails of oppressive financial legisla-
ton. which. if applied TO any other
city in America, would provoke re-
sistance equivalent to that which
caused The dumping of tea into Bos-
ton harbor a good while ago. IL
the reports of the present proposals
which reach me are true, that Ii is
now sought to load upon the city of
Washington more than half the cost
OF. municipal government. and to put
that city at the mercy of Congress for
the whole cost of great improvements
forced upon IL by authority outside
the taxpayers, il is high time that
the real owners of Washington, the
wake up and take care of their own
Capital City.
] have in scores OF American cities
heretofore called attention to the
fact that any Incidental taxpayer \
anywhere in the United States has
more real influence upon the conduct J
OF municipal goySrnment in WASH
instone than any resident taxpayer
I'M that city. have tried. and ex-
pect to continue 10 try. to have the
rSeoDfn of the United States realize
that Washington is their national
city; that their just and proper pride
IN ,itG entails a just and proper re-
sponsibiiity which cannot be dis
charged without interest. and. in
deed, lat times, without interposition.
The people Of Washington are, I
know. deeply and vitality interested
in having II the most beautiful capi-
tal. city in the world. To expect them,
however, to provide the cost Of the
vast. public improvements required
to effect the completion of the plan
laid down by the immortal founder of