Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-21

| ton the Congressman represents not the
nation, not the state, not the congress
sional district, but the District OF CO.
| lumbia and its $4,000 Americans.
Appreciation, Not Determination.
A conference of the active and silent
members of our capital-making partner
| ship might easily be imagined as the
scene of angry recrimination.
/ Too many Of Washington's legislators
come to view their constituents as unap-
preciative, ungrateful, greedy. selfish and
censorious; and too many Of these con-
stituents come to view the legislators, Sc
lected for them by the Constitution, as
deliberately ignorant of their needs, as
contemptuously Indifferent to and neglect
full Of their welfare or as actively and
Indignantly hostile.
The crying need Of the hour Is a change
of thought, a change Of heart. a new
policy under which each of the capital
building partners shall heed the injunc-
ton Put yourself in his place." with
the result of substituting mutual appre-
citation for recrimination.
Fair Play for Congress.
Fair play and mutual regard are watch
words of the new policy. The Wash
ingtonian in accordance with it will
| render deserved and belated tribute of
grateful appreciation to the long line OF
senator's and representatives who have
faithfully performed the unselfsh, diff
cult and almost thankless task Of dealing
as considerably and justly with their
capital constituency as with their home
constituents. Washington knows and
nf,,l
friends, public-spirited workers in the
task Of capital building, though it may
not have put this appreciation and honor
into words as promptly and adequately
as it ought
When Washington puts itself in the
place of Congress and recognizes the diff
f1culties and embarrassments under
which congressman labor as District leg
islators it will be easier for the city to sub
stltute at times appreciation for fault
| finding. The capital may then even feel
a pride in having as it's local legislature
world: legislature which though neg
lectful and exasperatingly slow to move
in District legislation, has ever in the
great crises Of the capitals history acted
justly and wisely and alphabetically.
Though the nation from the begin
ming neglected it's obligations toward the
nations city. it frankly confessed its
fault and came to the city's relief in
1885, when Washington had bankrupted
Itself in trying to perform unaided the
nations task of capital making. So
in the seventies of the last century,
with a recurrence of the conditions OF
1888, the nation not only shouldered one
half and guaranteed the whole of the
a matter of equity. to share all the
expenses of capital making for the fu-
ture. And If in the time to come an
other crisis shall arise-as in connection
tvr-ifh <h~x l{@ko
the funded debt of 1873 and throw it
upon the local taxpayers of today
Washington may. in the light of the prece-
dents. rely with perfect confidence for
protection on it's LEGISLATURES wisdom.
| justice and sympathetic consideration.
Congress as the Districts legislature has
confessedly it's faults but smallness
and meanness are not among them; and
| 1t is uncomfortable that the reputation
and con1scation proposed should not be
found. when the test comes. shockingly
repugnant to the dominating spirit of
fairness Of the American people.
Fair Play for Washington.
AS Washington should subject itself to
a rigid self-eXaminatio to ascertain
whether it has not been lacking in CRATE
full appreciation, SO should individual
members of Congress test the question
whether they do not fall short in just ap
probation of their capital constituency
and deny it American fair play. not mere
ly in specific legislation but in general
attitude and theory Of action as legislat-
ors; not merely or primarily for instance
in respect to the money eXacted from
year to year in taxation, but in respect
to acts and words which traduce the good
name and bruise the self-respect of the
most misunderstood and most misrepre-
Tod ofA roriP
What is there in the past record or the
present condition of the people Of Wash
ington to prevent their constitutional leg
islators from viewing them with apprecia-
ton and esteem? In numbers they exceed
the population of several of the states.
They are drawn from and reflect the
spirit of every section Of the Union. Ow
ing no divided allegiance to a state,
they are American in a peculiar sense,
the most American and national Of all
Americans.
They are now generally recognized
as by far the largest contributors to
the upbuilding of the capital. They
gave of their own property that the ma
ton might practically own and exclusive
ly control a national city. They donated
to the nation five-sevenths Of the area OF
Washington. They gave the land from
the proceeds of the sale of which the
Nearly all the work of street improve
ment and capital making which was done
for three-fourths Of a century was done by
them. Through disregard by the nation
of its financial obligations to the capital
the Westinghouse were in 1885 forced
into bankruptcy in the public-spirited at
tempt to bear alone the nations burden.
In the same spirit they endured in the
seventies the travail of the birth OF the
new Washington. They have paid their
proportion Of every national tax, direct
and indirect. They pay as much per cap
tia in city taxation, the census reports
show, as the average taxpayer In the
American cities approximating Washing
ton in size. They have risked life and
shed their blood in every national war.
AS border community Washington sent
many of her sons to the south in the civil
struggle; while to preserve the Union the
first volunteers came from the capital. and
Washingtonians supplied more troops in
excess of their quota than any state eX-
cept one. In the war with Spain they
sent to the front a fine regiment, far
exceeding their quota in numbers. They
have thus placed both sacrifice Of treas
ure and blood-sacrif1ce upon the nations
altar In modern times of peace the pub
lie spirit Of the Washingtonian is equally
in evidence whenever sacrifices Of time
or Of energy or Of money In the city's In
terest are required. Our business and
professional men, the educational. scien-
tific, literary and artistic elements of our
population. our workingmen In public and
private employ, our. department clerks
and other government employees, our win
ter residents in process Of conversion
into Washingtonians, combine to consti-
tute one Of the strongest, most intelligent,
r,o,+ D,,blic snirifed and most American