Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-12
ORGANIC ACT UPHELD
Protest Against BorIand
Amendment to District Bill.
VIEWS OF BOARD OF TRADE
Letter to Senator Warren From Or
CARNATIONS Finance Committee.
FOR HALF-AND-HALF SYSTEM
Declared Injustice to Small Property
Owners in Proposed Method of
Improving Streets.
VIEWS OF BOARD OF TRADE
FOR HALT-AND-HALF SYSTEM

| tor Warren, chairman of the Senate COM
| mittee on appropriations. letter pro-
| testing against the Borland amendment
| to the District appropriation bill requir-
ing property owners to pay half the eX-
pense of improving streets on which their
property is situated The committee
takes the stand that the Board of Trade
is opposed to the amendment for the
reason that it violates the half-and-half
principle of approprating for the Dis
trict of Columbia. laid down in the or
ganic act of 1878.
Senator Warren had explained in a let
ter to the committee that on account of
pressure of business and the latenesS of
the session il has not been definitely de-
termired whether hearings on the Dis
trict bill would be granted. but he suS-
gested that statement be placed be-
fore the Senate committee outlining the
position of the board regarding the Bor-
land amendment. The Board of Trade
committee had requested a hearing
The letter sent to Senator Warren by
the committee today dealing with the
Borland amendment was follows:
one of the objectionable amendments
to the District bill adopted by the House
OF Representatives, which the Board of
Trade believes will work great hardship
and injustice il enacted into law. Is the
Borland amendment page 81. after line
81, which proposes to permanently
change the plan of paving for paving and
resurfacing streets in the District of Co
iunbia by assessing one-half the cost of
the Same upon the abuttinS property in
stead OF paying the whole cost from the
general fund. as has been the practice UNI
der the organic act since 1878
THE method of paying for such work
by assessing a part of the cost upon
the abutting property similar to the one
Il .vl.lr
given a thorough trial in the District dur
Ing the reign of the board of public
works. and. after 2 searching investiga-
ton of District affairs by joint select
committee of Congress. lasting for several
months. it was found it had brought so
much distress and injustice upon small
property holders and so many inequalities
upon all classes of property that it was
discarded. and the plan now in vogue of
paying for the same out Of the general
fund was substituted therefor.
Regarded as Inequitable.
However successful the Borland meth
cd may have been elsewhere, the plan
upon which the city OF Washington is
laid out. with broad rectangular streets
and wide radiating avenues varying in
width from 50 to 100 feet, with numerous
public squares. circles and triangular
reservations, does not lend itself to any
equitable system of assessing the cost of
paving the carriageways on Il front foot
basis. Aside from the distress brought
upon the small property holders under
this system. it was found under the vast
system of improvements inaugurated by
the board of public works impossible TO
devise any uniform and equitable method
of applying the lew TO the large number
of irregular-shaped lots varying greatly in
depth and frontage in proportion to depth
In some instances triangular lots. with
broad sides on paved streets, were eaten
up by excessive taxation Numerous suits
grew out of this system of assessing. and
1t required several years to revise the as
sessments and a special act of Congress
under which drawbacks aggregating hun
dreds of thousands of dollars were issued
to property holders for overpayments.
No one who is familiar with the OPP
Grafton of this ill-advised system in
Washington would ever advocate re-
turn to Ii. On its face it appears to
be reasonable that some part of the
cost of paving the earrlageways
should be assessed upon the abutting
property. because there is unquestion-
ably some benent resulting from the
Improvement. But it is impracticable
to assess the benefits equitabiy and
in the long run complete Justice will
be done to all by defraying the cost
from the general fund.
Under the present law. in force for
nearly thirty-fve years. the small
property holder in the suburbs and on
city has contributed toward the pay
ment in the older portions Of the city,
and now when he is about to have his
own street paved he is. if the proposed
change is made, to be assessed for
costs There is no demand for this
change. and it would work great hard
ship and injustice upon a deserving
class of small property holders in the
suburbs and elsewhere who are pay
ing for their homes in monthly install
ments.
Moreover. the proposed change would
not reduce the tax On any property in the
District a single dollar. and there is no
public necessity for such change; nor
Is there much analogy between this sys-
tenn and the existing law under which
sidewalks and alleys are paved, where the
benefits are almost wholly local. The
present revenues are adequate for all the
work estimated for by the Commissioners.
and aggregating several millions of dol
lars more than the House of Representa-
tives has appropriated in the present bill.
Some charges have been made on the
floor of the House Of Representatives in
support Of this change that primeval for
ests have been leveled and streets paved
through them and through waste places
for the benefit of the SPECTATORS one-half
at the expense of the United States. and
that the BOrland amendment, IL it be-
comes a law. will check such expenditures
The charge is absolutely without founda-
ton, all such work having been done
wholly at the expense of the property
holders SO far paving streets are con-
cerned, thereby increasing largely the
revenues of the District. Moreover, under
the existing law no street can be paved
in the District at the expense of the pub
lie without specific appropriation there
for, which, of course, is wholly under
the control of the appropriation commit
te. and Congress.
Plea for Organic Act.
There are a number Of items In this
bill as it passed the House Of Representa-
tiyes which are made payable wholly