Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-15
District Appropriation Bill.

the most remarkable writing OF the
local budget on record. This bill
provides for the appropriation of Dis
trict revenues TO the extent of 5000
Sf9-24. to which amount is to be added
money that other bills will presume bly,
carry OF the Districts account bring
ing the total appropriations of District
revenues. on the basis of this measure.
up 10 ST. 2no.o16.2i. or St.4S1 ,G97 10 less
than the estimated sum of the local reve-
nues. This in itself is not i'm accordance
With the organic act. but the offending
of the bill now drawn goes much
further. for il provides that any Dis
trict revenues left unappropriated by this
and other bills shall be turned back into
the Treasury of the United States and
classed miscellaneous receipts"
In other words. if this bill should be-
come Law the District would be pro-
hibited from spending its money on the
half-and-half basis. or even on the whole
cost basis and would be compelled to
donate to the United States perhaps
Il. is1,,a1. 10.
Section Is. Chapter XIX, of the Com
piled Statutes Relating 10 the District Of
columbia enacted by Congress June IL,
ISIS. and still the statute in force relat-
ing 10 the appropriation of District rev.
enues. provides:
To the extent to which Congress shall
approve OF said estimates Congress shall
appropriate 10 the amount of "a per
centum thereof; and the remaining 80 per
centum of such approved estimates shall
be levied and assessed upon the taxable
property and privileges in said District
other than the property of the United
States ana of the District of Columbia"
The practice under that act has hereto
fore been necessarily to base the estl-
mates for appropriations upon the esti-
mates OF District revenues so that as
nearly possible the two items should
balance and prevent lapse between
appropriation and the processes of taxa
ton The law presupposes an exact
equality between appropriations and Dis
trict revenues matched on the half-and-
half basis with federal dollars. sur
plus or ii deficit is impossible under the
statue in theory. In practice. there have
been SURPRISES because of failures on
part Of Congress TO appropriate to the
full extent of the. estimated District reve-
MUGS, and these surpluses have later
proved temptations to Congress TO in
wade the organic act by appropriating
them on the whole-cost basis Again,
tHtit nave DCEn uelft'ltnclES because Con-
Sress has insisted upon appropria,ing for
large permanent works for the District
Oh Il virtual cash pay ment plan. But in the
ordinary course OF appropriation, with
the act Of 1873 respected. there can b.
no material surplus or deficiency of Dis
trict revenues.
While Congress was insisting upon ap-
propriating on the current revenues for
The financing of permanent works the
commissioners presented annual esti-
mates in excess of the estimated revenue
al tho hope OF securing a change I'll policy.
IIcu Consr, - - statute commanded In.
CoinniSSionc.s To con6ne their estimates
10 thu estimated revenues and so in effect
guaranteed that the revenues should ali
oc appropriated So Well did the present
Oo;ttd 81 commissioners obey this injunc-
zion that their estimates were within the
estimate Of revenues 10y about 81 ,ooo, an
.eotn raole Instance of strict compliance
VITA the requirements OF Congress.
Now the subcommittee not only ignores
the implied obligation to appropriate all
local revenues III accordance with the
organic act, but 1t goes further and pro-
vides that all such revenues not thus ap-
pIopfiated snail become federal funds TO
lhe extent possibly OF s1.4s7,U 31 10. This
~ in direct opposition TO the organic act
There is no provision of law whatsoever
Tor mulctfns tho District of Columbia oil
any ~ it's Neitues as federal funds and
the till drawn BY the subcommittee
stands today subject Ina this respect to a
point Of order on the familiar ground
that ii carries a provision In express vio-
Iation OF existing law. 1t remains for
some true friend of the district OF Co
iumbia who respects the law to make
this point of order when the bill is
brought before the House
Apart from the objection that the bill
violates the Law, III proposing to put any
part OF the District revenues into the
Treasury as federal money, the bill fs in
many respects satisfactory. 1t carries
more money than the current law. 1t Is
liberal i'll point OF providing for the cur
rent maintenance of the District, and re-
fleets careful, painstaking work by the
subcommittee. the members of which
we're exceptionally diligent in acquaint-
ins themselves with local conditions.
Obviously, however, the subcommittee
in drafting the bill was Influenced by
the fact that the House has already pass
Cd All act requiring the District To pay
approximately a million dollars To the
United States in refund of an alleged
debt incurred nearly forty years ago II
Congress passes that bill the surplus of
District revenues left by the House sub
committee will be reduced-on the basis
of the bill az now draHn--to about As5,-
90. or so1oooy of appropriation funds
MS Is not in itself an unusually large
margin for possible Senate increases But
the District denies the righteousness of
the Prouty bill. which mulets 1t I'm the
sum Of over a million dollars. and II pro-
funds for the satisfaction OF that claim
in the event of final passage especially
when in order to hold clear a
sinking fund for this purpose the
trainers of the District bill ignore
such urgently necessary projects
as those the Commissioners recommended
in their estimates. These include the pro-
posed fish wharf and market. funds for
the valuations of public service corpora
tons by the utilities commission, the CEN
trail warehouse system. the Benning road
viaduct. the municipal hospital. the mu-
nicipal lodging house. the inebriate hos
.pital and the Patterson tract park. all OF
which are entirely eliminated and the
estimates for which total SI,o92, 500, or