Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-30
CITIZENS TOPUSH
DELEGATE FIGHT
Federation viii Take Up Plans
at Special Meeting
Tonight.
HOUSE INVESTIGATION
ALSO DEEMED BIG ISSUE
May Demand That Charges Prefer
red Be Substantiated or
Disproven.

An active campaign to obtain passage
OF the bill providing for representation
of the District of Columbia in Congress
by delegate may be launched by the
Federation of Citizens Associations at
special meeting which it will hold tonight
in the rooms of the Chamber Of Com
merce.
This proposal and the Investigation of
local affairs which is being conducted by
the District committee of the House Of
Representatives are slated to bring the
federation members together in one of
the most important meetings ever held by
that body.
The affiliated citizens association will
be the first organization to officially take
notice Of the House investigation. The
special meeting was called because Pres
ident ID. A. Edwards and other officials
OF the federation believe that citizens of
Washington should not remain Indifferent
to the serious charges that have been
preferred by the House investigators. and
that they should have sufficient civic
pride to demand that the charges be
substantiated or disproven and the Dis
trio. given fair representation while 1T
is under fire.
&AASV may LAKE ACI1OU.
The advisapility of calling special
meetings for the same purpose has been
considered by directors of both the
Chamber of Commerce and Board of
Trade 1t is considered probable that
one or both of these organizations will
decide to take official cognizance of the
House inquiry.
Members of the federation have been
going into the history of the relation be-
tween the District and federal govern
ments and declare that Chairman Johp-
son of the House committee, in his ef-
fort to discover instances of where the
municipality is indebted to the United
states. has failed entirely to give the
District credit for certain equities to
which it is entitled.
Tonishts discussion is apt to center
on the. adoption by Congress- in ISIS OF
the half-and-half act. and. in this con-
made on the claipa. of Mr.. Johnson that
the District owes tfie United States about
a million dollars interest on the ::.65
bonds. the alleged debt having been con-
tracted prior to 1878.
View of the Citizens.
1t is contended by members of the fed
Grated body who have been looking into
the matter that the act of 1878 was
meant to put the. local and federal gov
ernments on a new footing and that OBJ
legations contracted between the govern
ments prior to that time were Cancelled
with the passage of the act.
If it is the intention of Mr.. johnson to
try to collect a miliion-dollar interest
charge which was contracted before the
organic act went into effect. then it is
only fair. they say. that the District
should be given advantage of certain
equities in its favor which accrued prior
to 1878
The District of Columbia. it is point
ed out, prior to 1873. expended about
sixteen million dollars more than the
federal government for purposes that
are now appropr1at ted for by the two
governments on q half-and-ha basis
in accordance with the organic act. 1t
is argued. therefore. that this is an
equity in favor of the District which
Congress should not overlook, if the
House committee chairman continues
in his attempt to dig up old charges
adopted
Will Consider Charges.
Outside Of considering the financial
questions connected with the commit
tees investigation. which constitute
one of the strong arguments in favor
Of the District being represented in
Congress by delegate, the federation
a: tonights meeting. will look into the
charges preferred by Chairman John
son tina. condemnation juries have
been "packed' and will consider gen.
orally the methods of the committees
investigation.
That these methods will come i'm for
serious criticism is considered likely
as many members of the federation
take the position that the District has
not been given fair representation
while it has been under fire. The ef-
feet Of the Investigation. they say
principally has been to give the Dis
trict a bad reputation abroad and
make local conditions appear to be
much worse than they really are.
Sympathies With District.
Representative RothcrmeI of Pennsyl-
vania has issued statement saving that
no greater argument is needed for rep
resentative from the District Of Columbia
in Congress than the present situation
''I have seen the interests of the Dis
trict attacked i'll Congress-" he said.
with no one to defend them. and it is a
deplorable fact that the citizens of this